Black Out The Sky
by Tharkun 140
Summary: It is almost funny how one person's decisions can change the fate of the world they live in, either for better, or for so much worse. In this timeline, there was never a team called RWBY. The heroes were not strong enough to repel the forces of darkness. White Fang was free to bring Remnant to its knees... and then remake it in their own image.
1. Prelude, pt1 - Trust

**So hey, this is the first chapter, or maybe rather a prelude of a new story, one that I hope will end up being pretty long. I'm probably way over my head here, since I'm not an experienced writer by any means, but I do have a few chapters planned ahead, so maybe something will come out of this. Who knows. It would obviously be great if you voiced your thoughts in the reviews or followed the story if you're interested, so that I know if there is at least one person interested.**

 **Trigger warning: This story is bound to go over some dark themes. I'm not planning on getting graphic with violence and certainly not with sex, but topics like racism or slavery will be present, so you read at your own risk.**

 **Also, please don't kill me for my portrayal of the characters. This is an AU; The characters in the show are different to their counterparts here and I don't mean to suggest they would act like portrayed by me in any situation.**

 **All of that said, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

They walked in silence.

Blake wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. They managed to successfully intercept cargo containing millions of lien worth of dust - enough to supply their branch of White Fang for years to come. And there was no doubt that Schnee Dust Company would feel that loss. Whether they decided to give in to Fang's demands or to strike back, they would never be able to ignore the group. They would never be able to ignore the faunus. On those grounds, Blake should have felt proud.

But all those people... how many crewmates were on that train? A couple dozen, probably. So many lives ended by their hands. So many families that would be grieving once the news of the attack came out. This knowledge was flooding Blake with guilt; Was that really what she was in for? Was that what she wanted when she left her parents, what she fought for ever since?

Yes. Yes it was. That's why, despite having her doubts, Blake didn't stop Adam from blowing up that train. It would had been so easy to just detach his carriage off or maybe just shoot him in the back of a head... but that would be a betrayal. Not just of Adam, but of everything she believed in. For what so many have fought, bled and died for.

Eventually, they arrived at the camp. Several recruits ran over to meet her and Adam, to congratulate them or to ask about the raid, even though they already knew how it went. They were sent a message confirming that the mission was a success, and a few people already came to the crash site to recover the containers. Blake paid no attention to questions, let alone bothered to answer them - she was currently just stuck in her thoughts. Adam was a little more talkative; He answered some of the questions, though mostly with nods and singular words, and even threw some line about how 'the faunus have achieved a great victory this day'. When they finally reached their tent and their little crowd dispersed, he turned to Blake and broke the silence that was stretched between them for the last hour or so.

"You should get some rest. I'll wait until the dust arrives, and maybe give some sort of speech."

Blake simply nodded. She did need rest, if not to get all those thoughts out of her head, then just to regain her energy after that fight. However, before she could enter the tent, Adam grabbed her by the wrist. Uncharacteristically for him, he seemed unsure of what to say. Amber eyes looked at him expectantly.

"I just... I know it was hard for you. To make that choice." he was met with a surprised look in his partner's eyes "It was your first serious operation. I've seen you hesitated. I just want you to know that you will not regret that" he stepped a little closer to her "Trust me, Blake. We can achieve great things together."

"I trust you" she muttered these words without even thinking about them. And while it sounded like an automatic response, it was an honest one. Obviously, she trusted Adam. If she did not, if she wasn't sure that he knew what he's doing, that he is leading her in the right direction... that would mean she was just a monster that kills people for no good reason.

And she had a reason. A good reason. A righteous cause, one that she would not abandon.

Adam seemed satisfied with that answer. She couldn't see his eyes through the mask, but she could still somehow perceive the emotion that passed onto them. Relief.

"Good" he simply replied and went his way a moment later. Blake was a little bit disappointed, as this would be a perfect moment for a kiss or really any other show of affection. But then again, that was just the way it was between the two of them. Neither was he the most touchy of people, so whenever they got to spend time together outside of combat or training it was quiet and awkward for the most part.

 _Still_ , thought Blake as she entered the tent, _I think I'll be able to put up with him._

* * *

Over two weeks have passed since the raid. Ironically, now that they had all the armament they could ask for, there wasn't really a good way for them to use it. SDC wasn't going to send any transports through this part of Vale anytime soon it seemed and there weren't really any targets nearby worth their attention. Sure, they could sniff around the villages for some minor gangs or racist shopkeepers to beat up, but Adam had bigger plans than that. The best option for them seemed to be going back to Mistral - there was much more to do back there, especially now, since their branch was now stronger both in men and resources since they departed to Vale.

In that moment, however, Blake wasn't thinking about any strategic maneuvers. She was sitting on the edge of her bed and was just starting to read a new book. 'A man with two souls'. No point for guessing what that one was about. And honestly, the beginning was sort of weak, almost like the author wasn't sure what they were doing. Still, Blake was willing to give it a chance. You don't judge the book by its cover, even if it is almost completely black and uninformative.

She was just about to turn the page when her ears picked some sound that didn't seem to belong. Like one of a blade being quickly unsheathed. This, much more unnervingly, was quickly followed by multiple gunshots and various sounds of struggle and combat. This was more than enough to prompt Blake to stand up, drop the book, grab the Gambol Shroud and sprint out of the tent, towards the source of the noises.

She arrived just in time to witness an unsettling scene. Multiple White Fang members were lying on the ground, all of them likely severely wounded or worse. Only two were standing - Adam and his lieutenant, or 'Banesaw' as he liked to be called. Before them stood a figure of a tall, black haired woman in a dress that seemed to glow like embers in some places. Two other people kneeled behind her, one on each side. They both held suitcases before them for some reason. Blake paid little attention to them; Though unarmed, the tall woman was obviously the threat here, judging from how she stood there facing Adam and somehow showing no signs of fear.

The faunus bent herself slightly, preparing to jump into the scene and strike the apparent intruder down. Her partner must have noticed it, for he showed her the open palm. _Do not attack yet._ Blake had no idea why she wasn't supposed to engage, or why neither of the other two faunus didn't attack for that matter, but she stayed her hand. In her mind she was already running scenarios for an incoming fight. There were two blades lying on the ground before the woman's feet. She was certainly some sort of fighter, but that shouldn't matter; Regardless of how strong she was, she couldn't realistically survive a three on one attack from experienced aura-users.

The intruder paid Blake absolutely no attention. She had her sight focused solely on two man, or maybe just Adam.

"Our plan will be beneficial for both of us" She spoke, her voice soft and not really raised, yet carrying tremendous confidence. As she talked, she raised her hand upwards. Suddenly, and probably not coincidentally, the ground between her and Adam was engulfed by flames. All three faunus unwittingly flinched at that. "Or one of us" she finished.

As if that was some sort of signal, the two kneeling people - both young, one male and one female as Blake just cared to notice - opened their suitcases. One of them appeared to contain dust crystals, while the other was stacked with lien bills. This confused Blake a fair bit - was she threatening them, or making an offer?

 _Both_ , she realized a second later.

"So... which will it be?"

It was an ultimatum. She needed them, the Fang, for something. She was willing to pay them for it, or maybe just provide them with resources, but just as willing to kill them all on the spot. But was she really able to do that? She apparently was strong enough to deal with regular recruits even in great number, but Blake was not just an average recruit. Nor was Banesaw, and certainly not Adam. With him, it would probably be a battle of a single strike... if he only managed to make that strike. There was something about that woman that made her look like somebody way above all of them in terms of power. Like some incredibly powerful witch from the legends. Almost like a goddess.

Right now, Blake wasn't sure if they could make it. But if the fight broke out, she would take a part in it. If they would end up allying with those people, she would comply. Right now, Adam Taurus was staring in the woman's only visible eye. He likely considered different options, only he no doubt understood the situation better than Blake. The mysterious woman stared back, waiting for his decision.

No matter what that decision ended up being, Blake would follow. She had a good reason to.

She trusted Adam Taurus.


	2. Prelude, pt2 - Just Cause

**So, there appear to be two or three people with some level of interest in the story. Meh, good enough.**

* * *

 _187 days before the Breach_

Blake really hated Adam right now.

Her reasons for that were probably wrong. Part of her was aware that she should have hated him for making deal with that woman - Cinder, as she introduced herself afterwards - who killed several of their comrades. She should have hated him for getting the White Fang into pacts with criminals and aid them in attacking innocent people who had little to nothing to do with the problems faunus were facing. But she didn't. All those things, she was dead sure of that, were for the right cause.

She hated him because, thanks to his orders, she was now standing on the lookout for the police or huntsmen, so that this criminal rat Torchwick - no offence to any of her rodent comrades - felt more safe while robbing some minor dust shop.

'We have to make sure everything goes smoothly' he said. 'I wouldn't trust anyone but you with this', he said. It made some sense; They needed dust for Cinder's great plan to be completed, and sending her to watch over the robberies was a compromise between doing all the work themselves and letting Torchwick go unchecked. But still, working with all those criminals had been not only a huge pain for Blake, but also a waste of her skills. She decided to take some time off later, go to some furniture store here in Vale and buy a couch, so that she could make Adam sleep on it once she got back.

Well, whatever she thought about it, Blake was now sitting at the rooftop, overlooking a dark street below. She had been sitting there for about half an hour now. Torchwick said that it was necessary to ensure that the police wasn't patrolling this sector of the city right now, but he likely made that up as an excuse to make Blake waste more of her time. She and the 'criminal mastermind' didn't spend much time together - as little as it was reasonably possible in fact - but he managed to piss her off in literally every conversation they had, so it would make sense for him to take that opportunity and spite her even further.

Blake watched as Roman and his hired thugs walked into the shop. As expected, they were met with no resistance whatsoever. In a minute of two, they would walk out and disappear before anyone could catch them.

Or they could get into a fight with some child wielding a mechashift scythe. That worked as well.

The faunus watched, now with some interest for a change, as the girl in black kicked one of the thugs through the window and activated her weapon. It was something worthy of a huntress, in that it looked hilariously impractical. Scythes were farming tools for gods' sake; Why not use something resembling a sword instead? The only way to be less practical would be to try and punch your opponent while he slashed at you with an actual weapon, or go the 'Sienna' route and use a chain as a weapon. Still, the girl seemed to be handling it with ease, despite being shorter than the blade of her weapon. She then proved her proficiency by wiping the floor with the thugs who tried to attack her. Blake should have probably came down in order to stop that, but watching the criminals get beaten like that was just a little bit too satisfying for her to interrupt.

Naturally, all good things must come to a stop eventually. It wasn't long before the scythe-wielder dispatched of all her enemies and was facing the crime boss himself. Blake was fairly sure Torchwick could handle that girl; She had to admit, if reluctantly, that he was really strong. Not quite as strong as Adam, but certainly better than herself. Still, it would be fairly embarrassing if one of their most important allies got killed or caught because Blake didn't see it fit to act. From her current position, she could easily take a few shots at her target... or she could jump down and end this fight before it had a chance to begin.

Roman managed to distract his opponent with a shot from his cane, only to make a run for the ladder on a neighboring building. He could probably beat the girl in a fight, but he instead chose to run away so that the bullhead could pick him up. Typical. Blake could already hear the vehicle in the distance, so there was a good chance for him to succeed even without her help. Still, she braced herself for action, preparing Gambol Shroud's blade and backing away slightly, so that she could get a step's worth of momentum. She waited for the right moment, when the girl had her sight firmly in another direction and when that moment came she jumped from the rooftop at such an angle as to land basically on top of her target

 _Aura is not automatic,_ she recalled one of her mentor's lessons mid-jump. _You can always pierce it, if you just have enough speed or the element of surprise._

Right now, Blake had both

The blade struck

The blood spilled from the wound.

Blake rolled forward upon impact to better distribute the force and turned towards the reaper immediately afterwards. From this close she could see more details; The person facing her could be fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. Her outfit was mostly black - which matched her dark hair and contrasted against pale skin - save for the red cape and the right sleeve, now stained with blood. Her eyes, an unusual silvery shade, kept jumping from her attacker to her slumped, bleeding arm in confusion.

Blake couldn't help but smirk. It probably didn't speak well of her, but she felt a wave of pride upon seeing the effects of that strike. It was the first time she managed to pull this off in a real fight - though that was mostly because she still didn't get to fight many aura-users. _And besides, it's not going to be lethal after all._ Though if it struck the nerve - literally speaking, because judging from how the girl's eyes were narrowing it definitely did piss her off - then the arm could end up paralyzed.

It did not matter. The important thing was that the fight was over. Her opponent could either surrender or run away, but she could not fight without an arm to hold her weapon in...

Oh. She was left-handed. Well, that was a bummer.

Blake barely managed to avoid the strike of a giant scythe. She prepared to strike back, but the silver-eyed girl _exploded_ into rose petals and reassembled in the air, her position perfect to strike again. This time Blake had to dispatch a clone to avoid getting cleaved in half, or at least having her aura depleted.

'Don't judge the book by its cover' at its finest. That girl was really skilled. Still, she could not win. Not with only one functional arm, and not against Blake.

When the scythe came down once more, Blake used another clone to propel herself forward, stepping into her opponent's guard and immediately unleashing a series of strikes upon her. Not a single one overhead, each swing coming from the wrist as to not waste a precious fraction of a second by engaging the whole arm. _That_ was why a sword was an ultimate melee weapon. Sure, you could hit somebody with a spear, axe or even something as impractical as a scythe. It worked pretty well against Grimm, which explained why the huntsman could get away with such ridiculous weaponry. But what happened when you were fighting against other person, and that person was between you and your blade?

You went down.

While none of those attacks were fast enough to ignore aura, they were strong enough to deplete it. The girl simply didn't have time to do anything in between strikes, not even concentrate enough to activate her semblance. After a particularly powerful strike from Blake, her aura flared and broke, leaving her completely defenseless and lying on concrete.

"Ugh... you won't get away with this!" she shouted, like she was some clichéd superhero talking to a villain. It wasn't even too intimidating, due to how high-pitched her voice was, but Blake was surprised not to hear any fear in her tone of voice, or see any fear in her silver eyes.

Did she have something to be afraid of? Blake wouldn't kill a downed opponent like that... no, she would not. But maybe it would be best to at least knock that girl out, so that she couldn't take a shot at Blake's back. Without a word of response, the faunus raised her weapon, planning on striking with Gambol Shroud's hilt.

Said plan failed as Blake was _thrown_ into the air by some unknown force. She landed on the other side of the road, on two legs of course - if there was anything she had managed to perfect, it was landing safely in almost any circumstances.

She quickly identified a threat. About two dozen meters down the road there was a woman in some sort of formal clothing a fluttering cape _Is that some sort of new fashion trend in Vale?_ She was standing tall, pointing in Blake's direction with something in her hand. Was it a rod? A wand? Definitely a weapon of sorts. Since she wasn't wearing a police uniform and clearly wasn't on Blake's side, it stood to reason that this new challenger was a huntress. An actual, adult huntress. Facing Blake and only Blake.

 _Nope_ thought the faunus as she made the run towards the ladder, leaving a clone behind just to be extra safe. Or rather to have a bit more of a chance to get away. She quickly climbed up to the top of the building and found herself relieved upon seeing the bullhead hovering in the air a few meters above the rooftop level. Despite the noise it made, Blake could still pick up some words exchanged below. She couldn't exactly discern them, but the most important thing was that the huntress was talking to someone, probably checking if the girl was okay. That meant Blake still had a few seconds worth of head start.

She used them to run through the rooftop as fast as she could, partially as to waste as little time as possible, but also to build up the momentum. Once she was a step away from the edge, she jumped into the air, managing to land perfectly onto the deck.

"You were in no hurry kid, were you?" said Torchwick, who Blake just saw standing in the corner, wearing half-smug, half-annoyed expression on his face, one that would be unusual for anyone but him. She wasn't sure if he was referring to her not helping him out earlier, or not dealing with the girl quicker. Either way, she didn't feel a need to respond with anything but a snort.

With both of them on board - nobody cared too much about the thugs it seemed - the bullhead was ready to take off. Blake was finally able to breathe with relief, as well as exhaustion. She came out of the fray unscathed, but using her semblance so many times in such short intervals was pretty tiring.

All of a sudden, the vehicle shook violently. After managing to balance herself so that she wouldn't fall out, Blake looked towards the building, to see the huntress standing there, shooting some sort of crystals from her weapon towards the bullhead. Yeah... running away was definitely the correct choice. Although that wouldn't really matter if they crashed and burned.

She turned Gambol Shroud into its ranged form, hoping that she would be able to snipe the woman down. She expected Roman to do the same, but he slipped inside the cockpit instead, shouting 'We've got a huntress!' to the pilot. In truth, she could have seen that coming from the coward he was. It looked like it was something Blake had to - somehow - do herself. She took a position near the wall, which made it less likely for her to just fall off and aimed the gun at the caped woman, who began forming something of a colossal spear out of her crystals.

"Leave that to me dear" That voice... oh great.

Cinder stepped out of the pilot's cabin an walked towards an open hatch. Her clothes, as well as her eyes were gleaming with power. This made Blake think back towards their first meeting - a memory that immediately filled her with anger.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. She had no idea that this woman would participate in their heist. _In our mission_ Blake reminded herself. It seemed like she was the one piloting the vehicle, for whatever reason. It was surprising she even possessed such a skill - maybe it was something all aspiring criminals had to learn in thug college? It would make some sense, since apparently Torchwick could do that as well, judging from how he was now in the pilot's cabin and they weren't all dead yet.

"Taking care of the mess" said Cinder as she raised her hand and blasted the spear to pieces. "that you've gotten yourself into."

"Yeah kid, stop being so ungrateful!" Roman shouted from the cockpit. Right now, Blake wasn't sure which one of those two she hated more.

 _Shut up and pilot Torchwick_ she thought

"Shut up and pilot Roman" ordered Cinder, launching a wave of fire into the woman down below. This power of hers... it wasn't any sort of semblance, she told them as much, if it wasn't clear from the start. It was something she had gained shortly before her meeting, or rather attack on their camp, and she wanted to get more of this. Cinder wasn't exactly generous with information. She apparently thought that if they knew everything about her goals, they would do something to sabotage her.

Was that because Cinder desired something the Fang would have wanted for themselves? Or were her plans so ominous, that she had to rely on their ignorance to get them on board, even with all the threats and promises she has made?

Huntress managed to survive the attack and assembled another wave of crystals to throw at the bullhead. Several waves in fact, which she then launched into the air in formations resembling purple snakes. Yet before any of them struck, Cinder threw her hands before her and a surge of heat reduced all the projectiles into, well, cinders. When she raised her hand again, the rooftop shined with orange light and a part of it exploded a second later. Blake could see the huntress jumping back, but that didn't matter - the bullhead was already flying away from her and high into the air.

The faunus was staring down towards the building, fearing that their opponent might pull out something else out of her sleeve. When that turned out not to be the case and the hatch closed, she turned her eyes to Cinder instead.

Even though the powerful woman might had just saved their lives, Blake found it hard to feel grateful towards her. That was the person who threatened the White Fang with slaughter. Who made them work with humans, and the worst kind of them at that. Who had some mysterious power that enabled her to get away with nearly everything she did, yet wanted even more for some unspecified purpose that they were not 'yet' allowed to know.

Actually, Blake was perfectly sure. She hated Cinder more than Roman. Perhaps more than anyone she has ever met.

And yet, she would continue to work with her. For the right cause.

* * *

 _182 days before the Breach_

Weiss was running through her luggage again, to make sure everything from the list was present. She had two more days until moving to Atlas Academy, so she didn't have to go through all of that just now. Heck, she could have just left everything to their servants and use the time gained to do something else, like practice making glyphs some more or perfect the speech she would make upon being selected as a team leader. But she preferred to be prepared earlier than necessary and she wouldn't trust any of the servants with this. She feared, rationally or not, that her father would take this as an opportunity to somehow sabotage her and make it harder for her to stay in Atlas.

 _He did approve of this though..._ it was pretty surprising that he agreed to let her train to be a huntress. Then again, it was probably just because he saw this as a much better alternative to having her study in Beacon. Recently, there was a huge spike in White Fang's activity in Vale, including the capital city itself. Weiss would still rather go there instead and wasn't afraid of some faunus thugs - but she could, for once, see her father's point. And however she might have despised Jacques Schnee, she felt she should show him at least _some_ consideration, so that he doesn't end up disowning her before she can take his company, destroy everything he has built and rebuild it according to her own design.

Yeah... Weiss might have had some family issues.

Still, she was willing to go on a compromise when it made some sense. Besides, if father thought he could control her just by being in the same kingdom as her, then he was dead wrong. After double-checking the baggage, Weiss was even more confident than she had been a minute later. She would go to Atlas, pass the initiation, be assigned a team, thrive in every single subject, have her team win the Vital Tournament if possible and graduate so that she can serve Remnant as a huntress, in addition to a CEO and a social reformer of course.

And nothing would stand in her way.

* * *

 _180 days before the Breach_

Yang was kind of anxious at the moment.

It was in stark contrast to how she imagined coming to Beacon. She has always been leaning heavily towards the 'confident' side of self-esteem spectrum, and this shouldn't be any different. Yang knew her strength - out of all the people applying this year, she was likely one of the very toughest. It wasn't that she lacked social courage either. She believed she would have no trouble getting on with her teammates, even if there wouldn't be any of her friends with Signal in the team.

Maybe Ruby's situation was just affecting Yang more than she thought. After getting injured in that fight with robbers - _Damn it Ruby, could you try not to imitate your sister in that regard? -_ the girl was hauled off to the hospital at short notice. Yang and their father arrived there immediately after getting informed of the situation. Aside from some minor bruises, the only wound was the deep cut inflicted by the criminal's blade. As of now, Ruby's right arm was paralyzed due to the damage done to the muscle. According to the doctors, this shouldn't be permanent, let alone life-threatening, but that didn't exactly curb all their worries. Ruby would certainly need to give up on combat training for a while, and if she didn't end up fully recovering, that could end up being pretty serious difficulty in becoming a huntress.

If Yang even got her hands on the person who did that, she would make them squeak in pain. Or rather her, since apparently the one responsible was some young woman trying to be a ninja. _Good luck with that once you get your legs broken._

Still, there was something else to this anxiety. Maybe it was a normal thing after all - Yang was about to start a new chapter in her life, one that presumably involved a lot of violence and danger. Even she was allowed to be a little nervous. In any case, it was not going to hold her back. Yang would walk into Beacon, amaze everyone with her strength and general awesomeness and walk out a full-fledged huntress.

But first, she had to get all this puke out of her boot.

* * *

 **Firstly, I'd like to express how much I dislike rewriting established events. I mean, it should be easier than coming up with all the action and scenery itself, but I just often find some scenes hard to properly describe.**

 **Secondly, I don't really consider swords to be 'ultimate melee weapons'. That is Blake's perspective. In my opinion, spears are the absolute best in any realistic combat scenario. Even if you can afford a sword and care enough to learn how to use it, if your opponent has a spear he can probably kill you before you even manage to close the distance. If you do manage to get close you will have some advantage, but it will still be tricky. Spears and lances 4TW.**

 **Thirdly, hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Prelude, pt3 - The War

**This chapter ended up being fairly long. I doubt anyone will read it all. But I still have a lot of time on my hands, so what the heck. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The Breach_

Jaune Arc was feeling pretty good right now. In a 'satisfied with life' kind of way, that is. Physically, he felt like we was about to die.

His stomach has been violently rebelling against him for the past two hours. Even though he hadn't eaten much before they took off, he still managed to fill an entire paper bag with vomit throughout the flight. Whenever he felt like he was getting better, the sickness would just strike again with an overwhelming force. He hoped they would arrive to Beacon shortly, because every minute of that torture was a minute too long.

And yet, he was in a pretty good mood. He and his team were heading to Beacon to report on their success. They had just completed their first real mission and done so without any trouble. Granted, the mission wasn't very hard to complete - it amounted to killing several stray Grimm, which probably could have been done by any of them alone - but Jaune had been afraid that he would manage to screw up even something this simple. Luckily it turned out that he wasn't that bad of a leader, or maybe his team was just so awesome that they were able to make up for his... relative lack of experience.

Because they were awesome. And not just because they were all amazing fighters (well, Ren was more in a 'good' category to be honest), but because they accepted him as their teammate, as their _leader_ despite being so much better than him. If Pyrrha had went straight to Ozpin upon learning about Jaune's forged transcripts and demanded for her partner to be kicked out immediately, he wouldn't have blamed her. Heck, it was probably a reasonable thing to do back then. Sometimes Jaune would still wonder if he should just quit. After all, he was not only placing himself in danger by cheating his way into Beacon, he was endangering everyone he fought alongside due to his weakness.

But now... Jaune thought that it couldn't be too bad after all. He was still weak and inexperienced, but thanks to the training he was getting - and thanks to Pyyrha in particular - his skills gradually improved. And besides, it wasn't just about his ambition anymore. It was, first and foremost, about his team.

Team JNPR. Jaune could see its other three members standing in front of the bullhead's window. It made sense that they would be admiring the scenery, now that they were getting closer to Vale. They didn't have to worry about getting airsick like him, so they could enjoy the view... but what was with their faces? Why did they all wore those looks of shock and downright horror?

With quite a bit of effort, Jaune stood up and trudged towards the window himself. It appeared as the bullhead was closer to its destination than he assumed, for they could see Vale clearly. They could clearly see the Nevermores circling in the sky, the other bullheads that, unlike theirs, were heading away from the city at full speed and multiple pillars of smoke, one of which seemed to be coming from the proximity of Beacon.

 _What the hell has happened while we were gone?_ Jaune thought, but he didn't say that out loud. His jaw was too busy hanging down. The silence was only interrupted by the pilot's voice coming through the speakers

"I can't get any connection going. I thought it was something with our radio, but... I think the tower might have fallen" The CCT tower... if it has fallen, then that would likely mean Beacon is down as well. And that would beg a question...

"What... what do we do now?" asked Nora, her voice dripping with uncertainty. And rightfully so, because Jaune had no answer for her. They could try and contact the authorities, maybe just jump down to fight the Grimm, but if things were that bad... could a bunch of huntsmen in training do any difference?

"We'll do whatever we have to" he said after a moment of silence. It really was no answer, but he felt like he needed to say something. And, unless he just imagined it, his friends seemed reassured a tiny bit. Well, if acting confidently would be of some use, then that was what Jaune would do.

He would do what he had to.

* * *

 _129 days after the Breach_

Blake Belladona was feeling nervous. She probably ought to be feeling much worse than just 'nervous'. She should be questioning all the choices that led her to this point, breaking down under the weight of stress. And yet, she only felt moderately anxious and unsure whether or not they were doing the right thing.

Blowing up the Haven Academy to shreds was a pretty big thing after all.

She was standing on the rooftop of some random building in the city. From there, she could see a sizable part of Mistral, including the school they were about to destroy. Everything was already set up, they only had to pull the trigger and watch the fireworks. Well, there was no need to watch actually, but it wouldn't feel right not to.

Not that anything about this felt right. It was even worse than the attack on Vale, because now they couldn't pass the blame on to Cinder. At this point, the woman wasn't involved in much of their operations. They were doing this out of their own will, they were the ones to come out with this plan.

Although... there was somebody they could blame. After all, this wasn't just White Fang's agenda in play. They were serving this... being called Salem. Doing her bidding in hopes that she would let them rebuild Remnant after they helped her destroy it. Deep down, Blake knew how wrong that was. Well, not just deep down. She knew it with all her mind, every part of her was screaming that it was simply wrong to cause so much death and destruction, no matter how just their cause might be.

But she would not stop, for several reasons. First of all, it would feel just as wrong to abandon the chance given to them. Before that night when Cinder first showed up, Blake had never really believed in victory. She was hoping that she could make things better for the faunus, but the thought of being able to stand with - or against - humans on equal footing just didn't seem very realistic. And now, it felt like they could do something. No, they could do _anything_ with enough resolve.

Second of all, she didn't think there was an option to turn back. Not for her, not for the White Fang as a whole. If they continued on walking this path, they could either honor the casualties by winning, or die trying. If they changed their minds, then either Salem would complete her plan without them, or she would somehow lose and all the sacrifices would end up being in vain. All the faunus who died during the Breach... all those who suffered from the hatred that followed... Sienna, who had to be killed in order for them to carry on their duty... Blake could not possibly accept that, and neither could Adam.

Adam... he was probably the most important reason for why Blake was doing all of this. Right now, he was standing beside her, eyes staring into the distance. That is, until he turned to look at Blake instead and saw her expression, which must have looked pretty troubled at the moment.

"Having doubts?" he asked. Damn it, he was perceptive for someone who had to look through slits in the mask to see anything.

"Not really" she lied "It's just... kind of overwhelming, you know?"

Blake wasn't sure if Adam believed that or not, but either way he didn't call her out on the bluff. He resumed staring towards the city, in the precise direction of the Haven Academy.

"I get that. We are doing something great. We are finally changing the world" the girl shivered slightly hearing those words. Adam sighed. "I know it is grim to think of destruction as of something good. But it is the only way to change anything. The only way for the faunus to get on top. Trust me on that."

"I do." she replied. Without thinking, as always. Honest, as always.

"I'm glad to hear that" Blake saw a trace of a smile on her partner's face. He held his hand out towards her. In a half-open palm laid the trigger. A simple electronic device, which right now held the power to doom Haven and likely Mistral as the result "Wanna do the honors?"

It felt wrong. It was wrong. But it was for the just cause. That's why Blake nodded, took the device in her hand, locked her eyes onto the distance, took a deep breath and pressed the button.

And the light from the explosion illuminated Mistral.

* * *

 _201 days after the Breach_

Taiyang Xiao-Long was dying.

He felt no need to lie to himself. He had survived many 'hopeless' situations in his time, but this time he would not be getting away. The huntsman was laying in the middle of the street, where he and several Vale soldiers have chosen to make their stand an hour earlier. His aura was depleted and he was bleeding from several wounds all over his body. He lacked the strength to keep fighting, run away or even raise his weapon anymore. He has finally reached his end.

It wasn't the worst end imaginable. At least he wasn't dying alone. All around him laid the bodies of White Fang recruits - they didn't deserve to be called 'soldiers' - each one of them either dead or severely wounded, most of them by his hand. There were dozens of them, maybe around a hundred? - Tayiang stopped counting somewhere in the fifties. But just as many of them were standing in a semi-circle around him, watching him bleed out, but keeping a certain distance. Even now, it seemed, they were afraid to come anywhere close to him. This fact brought him some satisfaction.

"Why are you just standing here?" He heard a rough voice, presumably belonging to one of faunus' leaders. Captain, Major, Colonel - it didn't matter. All of those were titles of the same importance in the White Fang. No matter how strong they have became, they were not a military force, just a horde of killers pretending to be one. "Are you waiting until he dies of old age? Brace your weapons."

Well, about time. Taiyang didn't want to wait too long either. Not only did all those wounds really hurt, he was afraid that he would start hallucinating if he were to lose more blood. He held no delusions about death, he knew it wouldn't be 'dignified' either way, but he still preferred to die with his mind clear. So that he could think about something that matters.

His country... well that was a depressing thought. Vale was crumbling down since the Breach, and now it seemed like it was about to finally fall. The attack over half a year ago has damaged the capitol and essentially destroyed Beacon Academy, but at least most inhabitants were able to escape the carnage and start partially restoring what was lost. But the White Fang has been growing in popularity ever since. Right now, they were carrying out a full-fledged conquest of Vale, and not many people were there to oppose them. Atlas has withdrawn its forces a while ago, huntsmen like him were too few in numbers now, and Vale's military was simply never good enough. Too reliant on a war not happening. Though to be fair, nobody could expect this turn of events.

His family... that wasn't much of a happy thought either. He had no idea where Yang was right now. For all he knew, she could be dead, killed either by Grimm or one of the other monsters, those disguising themselves as faunus. But she was strong and had her team with her. On that basis, he hoped she would be okay. Well, as much as anyone would be okay after this war ends.

But at least Ruby was safe. She didn't want to be safe, she wanted to fight, to protect, to be a hero. But Taiyang would not allow this. Even if she had both arms working properly, she would still be unable to do anything on her own, other than get herself killed. He would not let Ruby share her mother's fate. He forbade her from leaving Patch, let alone joining this bloody war and knowing that it might not be enough to stop her, he took away the Crescent Rose and gave it to Qrow, forcing a promise on him not to give it to Ruby unless there was a target painted on her back. That was his biggest fear when everything started to fall apart, that White Fang would go after him and his family. As a huntsman, he was too important for them to leave alone. They had to either get him to join their side, or kill him. And if they got him now... they would not longer care enough to target his daughters.

There was still a risk that Ruby would do something foolish. She would still feel the responsibility to help, maybe she would want revenge after his death. But even she wasn't hot-headed enough to try and fight without a good weapon, or at least he hoped so. He hoped so much...

"Ready!" The officer shouted. It was really a pointless command - nearly every recruit had their gun already pointed in the direction of the dying man. Like they expected him to get up and charge at them. Those cowards.

"Aim!" Taiyang raised his eyes towards the sky. The weather wasn't exactly perfect for the occasion. The sky was obscured by clouds, but there was no rain to make the scene more dramatic. Taiyang was staring at a large grey ceiling. At least it was a nice shade of grey. Like a well-polished blade.

"Fire!"

Or really beautiful eyes.

* * *

 _214 days after the Breach_

Adam Taurus was afraid.

It was an unusual feeling for him. He rarely felt any fear in battle - he didn't desire death, but it was always an acceptable risk for him. In fact, he would be fairly happy to die for the cause, provided that there would be good reason for him to sacrifice himself and that someone competent would take his place as the High Leader.

There were some things he feared. He once feared Blake would leave him, he still feared she would get hurt at some point and he feared something would go wrong every time he planned a mission. But those anxieties were more... rational in nature, they didn't make him sweat or want to hide in some dark corner.

Salem has managed to make him feel afraid in a real, organic sort of way. It wasn't just her appearance, though it certainly didn't help, it was knowing that he was kneeling before someone who could kill him at any moment. Not defeat him, but simply kill, just like that. I shouldn't be much different from facing a horde of Atlas robots, since the both situations could result in death, but it was. It really was a different feeling.

"So, Adam Taurus," Salem said in her calm, perfectly normal voice. "You request my aid in attacking Atlas. You believe that, if I direct my agents to help you in the conflict, you will be able to conquer one of the Kingdoms by sheer, direct strength. Is that right?"

"Yes, my Queen." he replied, trying to sound calm "We have already as good as subjugated Vale and Mistral and we keep getting stronger. With some aid from you, we could..."

"You subjugated nothing but ruins." Salem interrupted, "Both Kingdoms have fallen more to a single strike than to an invasion, something that cannot be replicated in regards to Atlas. People there are prepared for a disaster striking, especially now."

That was, unfortunately, correct. When it came to launching attacks - or any other operations for that matter - Atlas was a lot tougher than Vale or Mistral. Their forces were large, well supplied and technologically advanced, which made it hard to fight them openly. They were also generally suspicious of faunus, which made it hard to be subtle as well.

"But," the Queen continued, "I am willing to take the risk and trust you with bringing Atlas down. If you were to succeed, it would mean a great victory for us, and a great reward for you and your people. Tell Watts that he is to provide you any support he can."

This was unexpected. Mostly in a good way, but there was a part of Adam that was worried about how much value Salem apparently saw in the White Fang. So much for ever leaving her service.

"Thank you, my Queen." he said, trying to fill his voice with gratitude. It was pretty hard, not because he wasn't grateful, but because he rarely spoke with anything other than anger or firmness.

"Don't thank me yet. There is a chance that you will fail at your task, or die trying to complete it. The former, I can only do so much about. As for the latter..." Adam felt the shivers run down his spine as Salem approached him. "I made Cinder stronger, so that she could complete her mission. You are already a formidable warrior, Adam Taurus, but you could become nearly unstoppable... if you only accept my help on this matter."

This sounded even more ominously than the rest of what Salem was saying. What could 'help' from the Queen of the Grimm imply? Becoming part-Grimm? Becoming _fully_ Grimm? Cinder didn't look like one of those monsters, but maybe she was just really good at hiding it.

"Well," Salem said with a hint of impatience in her voice "what will you say to that?"

Could Adam refuse? Probably yes. It would displease Salem, but truth be told, she wasn't one to dispose of her subjects for trivial reasons like that. But he wanted to become stronger... he _needed_ to become stronger if he wanted to make a difference in an actual war.

"I will gladly accept your help, my Queen." he replied, not feeling all too confident about his decision. Seeing how Salem's lips formed a slight smile didn't help.

But still, he would take whatever chance he could get to become stronger. For the right cause.

* * *

 _309 days after the Breach_

James Ironwood was extremely frustrated.

By now, it was pretty much a normal state for him. It would have been weird for him not to be frustrated in his current situation. Namely, being in charge of a country that was fighting a brutal war within its own borders.

Atlas was in a state of open warfare for little over two months now, and it was not working out well for the Kingdom. Their army was being gradually pushed back by the enemy forces and was starting to suffer the shortages of food, dust, ammunition... well, pretty much everything save for enemies. This conflict was far too unconventional for him to apply the 'normal' standards for who was winning at the moment, but judging from how they had lost everything save for a few largest cities, it was fair to say that his side was the losing one.

Atlas, the most powerful of Kingdoms, was losing a war against a faunus supremacist group.

For nearly an hour now, Ironwood was trying to write a speech that would reassure people that the White Fang would not manage to defeat the brave atlesian forces. The problem was, the Fang likely _would_ manage to defeat the brave atlesian forces, unless something really major were to change. And even if he managed to somehow convince the public that the war was going in their favor, it would still not be good enough. That war shouldn't have started in the first place!

Just a year ago, nobody could seriously suspect something like this. Back then, the White Fang was just a terrorist organization that limited itself to launching raids at dust companies. A threat that had to dealt with, for sure, but nothing to change the order on which Remnant has operated for decades. Right now, they were effectively controlling two of the four Kingdoms, and they were on their way to conquer a third one.

There was no consensus on how this was possible. Those considering themselves pragmatists tended to come up with rather weak explanations, giving reasons such as the economic instability of the fallen countries or an increase in Grimm activity correlating with the initial attacks. Conspiracy theorists had a field day with all of this - Ironwood himself was the main character of a great many stories detailing his secret betrayal of humanity. Faunus supremacist views were naturally getting more and more popular, even among humans.

The general had figured out the real reason a while ago. It involved a certain evil entity helping the White Fang out. He couldn't share it with anyone of course, which made him all the more frustrated.

 _Damn it Ozpin,_ he thought, _how could we let that happen? How could_ you _let that happen?_ If the former headmaster of Beacon was here, James would have given him a long lecture about what being passive and ignoring potential threats leads to. Sadly, he was not. He died during the attack on his school, killed by that damn infiltrator who used all the chaos to get to Amber and claim the whole power of a maiden. In that moment, it was over for Beacon - it was almost completely destroyed along with the CCT tower and all the teachers killed alongside the headmaster for trying to prevent it. Ironwood had felt a temptation to fight and fall alongside them back then, but he knew he had to stay alive, if only to find Ozpin after his next reincarnation.

Well, that didn't work out. If Ozpin took another host since the Breach, then they couldn't locate said host. Qrow was probably still searching, but did it even matter at this point? Remnant was falling apart, and Ironwood had to make his people feel better about that.

 _This isn't the worst conflict Atlas has faced._ Perhaps that sentence was true, but the only conflicts of comparable scale were The Great War and The Faunus Rights Revolution, both of which Atlas technically lost. Scratch that.

 _We possess a tremendous technological advantage._ Technically true, but people knew it didn't really matter that much. Somehow, the White Fang was able to hack into their system each time they got access into the mainframe, and there was no shortage of traitors hoping to gain the invaders' favor by sabotaging Atlas in this manner. Besides, much of atlesian technology was bound to become nearly useless very soon - what is the advantage of having dust bullets, when you are short on dust? Scratch that.

 _The White Fang is losing two people for each of our soldiers and is bound to run out of manpower._ Also stretching it. Yes, their enemies were suffering higher casualty rates than atlesian forces, but they also had access to twice the population viable for combat. While most people in Vale and Mistral didn't exactly like the Fang very much, there were still more than enough potential recruits. Faunus willing to fight for something they considered worthwhile, mercenaries willing to fight for the winning side or just regular people whose lives have been destroyed, willing to fight for food and clothing.

Still, it would have to do. It wasn't like Ironwood had much more time to think - he had a meeting regarding the distribution of rations in about an hour. He sighed internally and expanded on the statement, so that he could have a speech that was sort of reassuring and sort of honest at the same time.

It would really be an achievement.

* * *

 _358 days after the Breach_

Weiss Schnee was in the middle of combat.

The sensation was mostly new to her. She has been training for a long time now and fought both human and Grimm opponents during her time in Atlas Academy. But those humans weren't really trying to kill or even seriously injure her, and the Grimm weren't too threatening to be honest. Even if her skills failed her, she always had a possibility of running away, especially since her teammates would cover her retreat. This was different. The danger was real, and with her aura already diminished, every lucky strike on her opponent's part could prove lethal.

Said opponent was a White Fang assassin, the two of them alone in one of many corridors of the Schnee mansion. The place was currently under attack by the terrorist group; Her father and Whitley have rushed for the escape route a moment after the assault began. Hopefully the mother and Klein would follow in their footsteps, as running away was definitely the correct way to act. Weiss knew that her decision to stay and fight was foolish from the tactical standpoint, but she was sick and tired of sitting back while her Kingdom... no, while the entire freaking Remnant _burned._ She really should have done something earlier, should have joined the fight like most huntsmen and huntresses have done. But how was she supposed to go about that when the Headmaster himself sent her home?

'On the frontlines you would become a target right away, Miss Schnee. We cannot take that risk.' Maybe he really meant it, or maybe he was just influenced by her father. Or, more likely, by Winter. Well, she became a target either way, so to hell with them all. But more importantly, to hell with that faunus who just wouldn't stand still and let herself get stabbed.

She was definitely a tough one. Weiss has already taken down several White Fang mooks, one of whom even had his aura activated, but her current opponent actually knew how to utilize it as well. She didn't seem to be using any semblance - her skin changing color appeared to be some bizarre animal trait instead - but she was still able to fight on a level approaching a huntress. Her weapon was some bastard child of a sword and a whip, which allowed her to fight effectively both in short and medium range. Right now, Weiss was sticking to the former, hoping that her fencing skills would prove superior to the ones possessed by the faunus. Remaining at close distance required her to attack pretty much constantly, which wasn't Weiss' favorite strategy, but at least it allowed her foe no time to breathe.

But still, maybe distracting her even further would be a good idea?

"Why are you even here? Were soldiers too hard to kill?" she asked the assassin while trying to stab her with Myrtenaster, or to unload the fire-dust bottle inside its chamber. "Is that just a way to satisfy your bloodlust?"

"We're here on a mission." the faunus girl growled as she parried a strike with her weapon. "Your family has been an enemy to the faunus for a long time, Schnee. We are here to serve justice!"

'Schnee' wanted to laugh out loud. Did that person really believed what she was saying? Maybe she had her hearing impaired and just didn't hear all the bullcrap she was spewing.

"How does anything my family has done compare to leveling whole cities?" Weiss had to dodge to avoid the faunus' counterattack, but she kept on talking. Maybe pissing the girl off would prompt her to make a mistake of some kind. "I don't recall launching a genocide campaign recently."

It appeared as the tactic worked. For half a second the assassin stood in place, as if thinking of a suitable reply. That was enough for Weiss. She swung at her opponent, and while the faunus girl managed to block that strike at the last moment, she did that at an angle that made it impossible for her to break the blade lock. Weiss smiled with grim satisfaction and gripped Myrtenaster's blade with her other hand, so that she could push with all her strength. She managed to pin her opponent to the wall, the point of the rapier slowly approaching the throat...

And then the electric sparks sprinkled out of the sword-whip.

The electric current passed to Myrtenaster.

Weiss cried out in pain as her muscles rebelled against her, spasms making it impossible to keep pushing... or to block the oncoming thrust.

And, with her aura already low, it was no surprise when the remains have proven not strong enough to absorb the force of the attack.

Weiss didn't scream as the metal whip lashed out and pierced her abdomen. This time, only a muffled whimper came out of her throat.

It hurt. It really, really hurt. Weiss was fairly sure that was how dying felt like. Her legs gave out and another whimper resounded, as the blade was now the only thing keeping her from falling on the floor. But even still, her left hand was holding the Myrtenaster. The muscles contracted in such a way that the hand was now tightly gripped around the blade even without its owner's input.

Weiss had just died. There was no way she was getting out of this, even if the assassin decided not to finish her off. But she hasn't lost yet...

She could still make it a draw.

Slowly and with great effort she moved the sword so that it's tip would face in the direction of her opponent. Unlike a normal gun, Myrtenaster had no trigger guard and could be fired not only by actually pulling the trigger with a finger, but also by something such as rubbing its handle against the leg. The faunus didn't seem to notice the movement; She seemed to have stopped paying attention the moment she thought to have achieved victory.

"For all it's worth, I'm sorry I had to do this." she spoke, staring into the heiress' eyes, "But there is simply no other way for us to..."

She never got to finish that sentence. A wave of fire engulfed her as Weiss finally managed to activate her weapon and empty the Myrtenaster's chamber. Through the fire shone the light of aura breaking down. The faunus didn't scream either. Maybe she died that quickly, maybe her lungs got damaged right away, or maybe she just had _that_ much self control.

Weiss' body hit the floor a moment after her killer let the grip loose. After a second or so, the assassin's body fell next to the huntress. It made no difference whether the faunus was dead already or just dying. It was over anyway.

Weiss Schnee has ended her first serious duel with a draw. It didn't sound too impressive, but it was a good duel. It appeared as she had just managed to take down some rather strong fighter, maybe even somebody who held a leadership position within the White Fang. It wasn't quite what Weiss was hoping for, but it was still worthy of a Schnee name.

At least that was what Weiss kept telling herself. It made her a little less afraid of what was about to happen.

She heard some quick steps coming from around the corner. White Fang recruits, no doubt about that. Weiss closed her eyes. She wouldn't die staring into their masks, wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her dying eyes.

She wouldn't let them see the tears that were gathering under her eyelids.

* * *

 _364 days after the Breach_

Winter Schnee was having a bad day. A bad week, a bad month, a bad year, maybe even a bad lifetime.

Everything she stood for, everything she ever cared about either crumbled down before her eyes or already laid destroyed. The Kingdom of Atlas was as good as defeated by now. She wouldn't say that in front of the soldiers and neither would the General, but they both knew how screwed up the situation was. Heck, just about everyone knew that already. Each passing day some part of their forces would surrender, and some would go a step further and join the enemy. Those who stayed and fought did so not because they believed in victory, but rather because they wanted to fulfill their duty... or take whatever revenge on the attackers they could.

While she attributed her willingness to fight to duty, Winter had a lot of reasons to desire vengeance. Especially now, after her family's mansion has been attacked and burned down by the White Fang. She didn't know what happened to her family; They could have managed to escape and hide somewhere, but it was also possible that they were all dead or captured by the enemy. Weiss was unlikely to just run away in an event like this, so that realistically left only two latter options in regards to her. Grim as it was, Winter hoped that her sister has gone down fighting. The things those animals would do to a captured Schnee... no, it was too terrible to consider.

Besides, Winter needed to stay focused on the matter at hand. She was in a middle of a battlefield after all.

She was currently on a patch of land near the besieged Atlas Academy. There wasn't much more to say about this particular location - there was probably some building here just a week or two ago, but now it was just another part of the battlefield. All the infrastructure surrounding the Academy was completely destroyed as the White Fang attacked time after time, determined to bring down one of Atlas' last bastions of resistance. It was their tenth assault this week, and just like every other time, the numerical advantage was on the attackers' side. The specialist was surrounded by enemy combatants from all sides, but only one of them really mattered, due to being the only real threat, but also due to her value as a target.

Blake Belladonna. The daughter of one of White Fang's previous leaders and the right-hand woman of the current one. _Well, that might be giving her too much credit._ From what Winter understood, the girl had little to do with actually leading the White Fang. She appeared to be the equivalent of a secretary, perhaps romantically involved as well. That was also good; Winter wouldn't miss a chance to piss the dear High Leader off, even if it did little to change the course of the war.

Besides, leader or not, the girl was a pretty good fighter. They had been locked in a duel for several minutes now. Other White Fang members present were practically reduced to spectators, as they were afraid to get closer from fear of getting their heads chopped off as well as afraid to shoot from fear of hitting their own in a midst of all this incredibly - for them at least - fast combat. Belladonna was quick on her feet, able to dodge most of Winter's attacks, though not quite quick enough to effectively strike back. She was skilled for sure, maybe even on a level of a professional huntress. But Winter was a step above that.

She was an Atlas specialist. She fought in every major battle of this damn war and survived. She would not fall here.

Her opponent has proven herself quite capable of handling Winter's summons - she destroyed several white Beowolves just a minute ago. Truth be told, that aspect of the Schnee family semblance was far less useful than it might have appeared. After all, if you managed to kill something, then it was probably weaker than you, and thus most often not worth your energy to summon. But everything could become an indispensable weapon if you only used it cleverly.

She fell on one knee, leaned on one of her swords and activated her semblance, like she was about to summon something again. Predictably, her opponent jumped at her slashing with her sword. Big mistake. When the faunus was just a fraction of a second from striking, Winter jumped back, letting the blade hit the air instead. In an instant, one of specialist's sabers was falling in an arc towards her opponent's neck.

It didn't connect. But only because it wasn't meant to.

Seeing the blade fall prompted Belladonna to dispatch one of her damned clones and jump to her left. Sadly for her, she has basically fallen on Winter's other sword, a thrust timed and aimed downright perfectly. Only then, when the faunus lost her momentum as well as her balance, did the other blade connect in a quick yet powerful strike. Aura broken, the black-haired girl has fallen to the ground.

Winter smiled with grim satisfaction. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

It was really rather tragic that a chance for some sort of revenge was the only source of her enjoyment with life these days. But still, Winter wasn't going to let an opportunity like that slip away. She stomped on her fallen foe's hand with her heel, earning a quiet hiss of pain in the process.

"You will not be getting away this time, Blake Belladonna." she said in a formal tone, loudly enough for all the White Fang recruits to hear. "While this might not be an official trial you deserve, I think it counts as a form of justice. Wouldn't you agree?"

The girl didn't answer. Instead she just looked up at her soon-to-be executioner with those amber eyes of hers. There was no fear in them, though there really was no defiance either. Only... daring? Did that animal wanted to die? Or maybe she really had no fear of death, like so many had falsely claimed?

Well, it mattered not in the end. Winter raised her sword, pointed it downwards... and spun it to deflect a bullet that would have otherwise impacted with her head. Apparently, the prospect of one of their leaders dying was just enough for the White Fang mooks to interfere in some way. A shame that they were still nothing next to a huntress. She turned her hand in the direction from which the bullet came...

Hadn't she knew better, Winter would have blinked several times.

Two dozen yards away stood Adam Taurus, the High Leader of the White Fang. She had never seen the man in person, of course, but she still recognized him almost immediately. A tall silhouette dressed in black, face partially covered by a red-ornamented mask, horns coming out of the crimson hair, a curved sword held in one hand and a characteristic sheathe-rifle in the other. Yes, the primary cause of all this bloodshed stood before her.

It was surprise for sure. Despite being an experienced aura-user, the 'High Leader' never bothered to directly participate in combat during the invasion of Atlas. Why has that changed, Winter didn't know. The White Fang recruits seemed surprised as well, gaping at their leader with astonishment and awe, some having fallen on their knees just now, seeing how the top dog has arrived.

For Winter it was either going to be a really good day, or her last one. Maybe both, if she managed to take this monster down with her.

Right now he just stood there, his sight firmly on the two women. Winter was the only Atlas soldier in wide radius, so it would probably go down to her and Taurus in moment. She figured it wouldn't hurt to goad him into it; Who knows, he might just charge her like an angry bull and leave himself open.

"Coming to help your pet killer out?" she asked, putting a significant amount of mockery into her voice. It seemed to work, as the faunus' face twisted in anger. "Or do you just like watching your own people die like that? If so, then I was just about to..."

Winter saw a vague blur of black and red.

The next second, Adam Taurus was no longer standing in the same place, and one of Winter's swords has fallen on the ground, along with an arm that was holding it.

It took another second for her to register the pain. And by gods, it was horrible. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her throat, save for a weak, pained whimper. Aside from severing her arm above the elbow, the sword must have torn into her torso, as that too hurt intensely. A moment after the rest of Winter's body hit the ground, it was already covered in a puddle of blood. _I am dying_ , her mind realized.

Her apparent killer paid her only a quick glance, before kneeling down beside Belladonna. He exchanged some words with her judging by his lips moving, but Winter didn't hear those. All she heard was a continuous hum, almost like a static of a broken radio.

She knew that moment would come and she suspected it might come soon. But like this... surrounded only by enemies... having failed her objective... not even able to say anything lofty... damn it.

She saw Taurus stand up and shout something to his men, but by now she didn't even hear the hum. She couldn't even see as clearly as the moment before... vision fading... the pain slowly weakening.

 _What would be a good last-_

And the darkness overtook her.

* * *

 _365 days after the Breach_

Yang Xiao-Long was... there. In one of the many rooms of Atlas Academy. Her team has arrived to Atlas a few months ago, hoping to aid in its defense against the White Fang forces. They considered staying in Vale and joining the resistance, but they figured out that they had more of a chance to do something worthwhile by working with an actual army. They weren't the only ones; General Ironwood has gathered many huntsmen and huntresses from all of Remnant to battle the White Fang menace, adding their strength to the one of his own army, hoping it would prove enough to overpower the enemy.

Shame it didn't work out.

Right now, Yang was sitting and not doing anything. It was a pretty common state for her recently; For the past year her life has been pretty much nothing but fighting, sleeping and training to fight. There were few really good pastimes available, not that many people cared about having fun now that the threat of death loomed over them constantly. In order to avoid getting consumed by grim thoughts, Yang has mastered not thinking about anything. Not about the war, not about the future, and certainly not about her father. Damn, it still hurt whenever she forgot not to think about it.

Her not-thinking was interrupted as somebody entered the room. She recognized the person even without looking their way; Only her teammates walked into this room just like that and judging from how heavy the footsteps were...

"Hi Cardin." Yang greeted her leader without bothering to turn towards him. She was still trying to preserve a part of the thoughtless peace she so cherished. "What's the matter?"

"We are soon to be under attack." This prompted Yang to finally look at him. "By the Grimm, that is. The animals seem to be taking a break right now."

A year ago, she would have called Cardin out on insulting the faunus like that. But here and now, she couldn't blame him in the slightest. While Yang didn't really believe the faunus to be all evil or inferior, she would often use insults like that as well. Bigoted or not, dehumanizing your enemies really helped in times like that. So instead of starting an argument, instead of saying anything at all, Yang got up from her bed, picked Ember Celica up and started heading towards the battlements. Cardin walked alongside her, silent as well. There really wasn't much to talk about.

They soon arrived on a large, open platform with a view of the destroyed city. It was one of Academy's most important points of defense, as you could easily shoot down on anything which approached the walls and there was a evacuation hatch nearby. Several dozen soldiers were cramped here - most of them now busy carrying out the colonel's orders - as well as a couple of huntsmen, including the two other members of team CYAN. Azure, a young woman whose name really didn't fit either her red hair or brown eyes and Noir, a rather scrawny-looking boy with fittingly black hair and really dark-blue pupils. Right now they were standing near the edge and looking towards the horizon, just as about half the soldiers present, few of them with lunettes to see better.

Yang really liked her team. No, really, she wasn't just making herself like them for the sake of feeling better with being stuck with them. If she hadn't liked them, she would have left to fight on her own long ago.

It wasn't like that from the beginning. Initially, Yang absolutely hated her team. Noir wouldn't stop flirting with her for the first month in Beacon, Azure just wanted to train and didn't give much crap about the team and Cardin was... ugh, he was just the worst back then. He was bitter about not ending up on the team with his old friends, constantly attempted to boss his teammates around and would certainly have been going around bullying weaker students if Yang didn't give him a piece of her mind - and fist - the first time he tried to openly attack some faunus girl. He wasn't even that strong, even though strength seemed to be his sole focus as a huntsman. During her time in Beacon, Yang envied just about every other student for having passable, or in case of JNPR, slightly less terrible team-leaders. And yet, Cardin has gotten better since then. He has come to like and respect his teammates over the past year and the months of fighting have sharpened his mind and body considerately. As for his racist tendencies... well, right now just about everyone was either on his level or worse. It just happened when the people trying to kill you and your friends had one characteristic that bound them all together.

Well, early on at least. Right now there were almost as many humans working for the White Fang as the actual members of the group. Yang couldn't comprehe- well, she could comprehend it. Some people cared more about being on the winning side than on the morally correct side of the conflict, and the Fang's leadership was apparently pragmatic enough to ally with those humans. Still, it was baffling how many soldiers, and even some _huntsmen_ were willing to deal with those monsters.

Except not really. Most of those 'traitors' just wanted a better chance of staying alive. And while huntsmen and huntresses should ideally not be afraid of death, the White Fang made a habit of targeting the families of particularly dangerous fighters in hopes of getting them to surrender or just do something unwise. Her father has, though he wouldn't have admitted it, chosen to die before that could happen. But could that be really expected of everybody?

At least they didn't have to worry about that today. Now they would fight a different sort of monsters.

Yang could just barely see the individual Grimm in the approaching horde. They were mostly just Ursai and Beowolves, probably some smaller ones in between, but hardly any really big ones or flyers. That bode rather well - whatever Grimm got through the bullet hell that awaited them should be easily squashed by CYAN and half a dozen other huntsmen present. They had to deal with the Grimm semi-regularly due to all the negativity they generated, but they dealt with them each time with minimal casualties. _A simple fight against the enemy that wouldn't scream while killed - a decent way to spend time by today's standards._

"You see anything interesting?" Cardin asked one of the soldiers equipped with a lunette.

"Eh, all those monsters look similar, even zoomed... wait." He adjusted the optics. "I think... I think I see a human there. Or a faunus, hard to tell from this far."

"A person here?" That question came from Azure. "Like, getting eaten by the Grimm?"

"No, I mean walking alongside them." Everyone gave the soldier doubting looks. "I know that's weird, but I see it. Maybe it's some kind of humanoid Grimm or something? That or they wear black. Not a White Fang uniform, nor an Atlas one."

Yang looked in the direction the lunette was facing. After a while she spotted something that might resemble a person, but that might have just been her imagination.

"No, that is definitely not a Grimm." the soldier continued. "Has a normal skin. Wait, is that a White Fa- arhg!" he closed his eye and dropped the device. At the exact same moment, a flicker of red light shined in the distance. The man must have looked directly at it.

"Um... what was that?" Now Noir too has joined the conversation and was looking firmly in the direction of the strange light. "Are they trying to signal something?"

"I don't think so." Yang figured it was her turn to say something. "I mean, it is not a flare, and it can't be any coded message, since it's not flickering or anything..."

"It is getting brighter though." interjected some other soldier. He was correct - the flicker of light was glowing a bit stronger with each second. Wait, that wasn't quite it...

"No." said Cardin with surprise and a bit of fear in his voice. A fraction of a second later, Yang understood why. "It is getting closer."

A colossal wave of red energy approached the Academy, or more specifically, the wall they were standing on. It sounded a bit dumb - Yang had learned physics at Signal and knew that energy was not visible - but it was the most obvious description that came to mind. Besides, there wasn't much time to come up with any other descriptions, as this ominous wave was approaching at a speed which suggested they would face an impact just about...

"What the.." Yang wasn't able to say anything else as the wave hit the Academy. She didn't get to see what it did, as the blinding light filled her vision, only to be replaced by blackness a while later.

Darkness.

Darkness and silence.

Darkness, silence and a lack of thought.

Yang enjoyed that state. It was like being asleep, but without all the nightmares. Or maybe she was just dead? Crap, maybe she should had joined some religion after all...

"God damn it Yang!" a voice pierced the silence. "Get up, we are in a middle of a battle!"

She could hear it now. The silence has been replaced by a bundle of noises - gunshots, explosions, screams and barely audible orders shouted by the colonel. Feeling returned as well - now Yang could feel her head hurting from some impact, as well as the weight of the bricks pressing downwards on her entire body. Yet the darkness wouldn't recede one bit- oh wait, she just had to open her eyes.

Cardin stood there, on the same pile of rubble Yang was now laying in, holding an outstretched hand towards her. Now that she looked around, there was almost nothing but rubble nearby, save for some Grimm running around and a couple of fresh corpses. It appeared as the wall has crumbled after the impact and almost buried the huntress in its ruins. Her aura, however, was still mostly intact. She took her teammate's hand and stood up, instinctively dusting herself off.

"Where are Noir and Azure?" Yang asked an obvious question. Not 'What happened?' or 'What's the situation' - whether or not their teammates were alive was more important of a matter.

"They are protecting the hatch." Cardin answered, and then added. "We are retreating to the bunker."

Atlas Academy, being effectively one on the biggest military bases in Remnant, had an extra-fortified bunker deep under the main building. They were, indeed, meant to retreat there once defending the whole school became impossible, but...

"We are just fighting Grimm!" Yang objected. "Shouldn't we at least hold the line until we can regroup orderly?"

"It's not about the Grimm." Cardin's reply was annoyingly vague.

"You mean the White Fang is here? They had more people hidden somewhere?"

"No. Just one person. Now hurry." Cardin turned around, tightened his grip on the mace and marched hastily in the rough direction towards the evacuation route. Yang growled, but didn't keep asking; She understood that sometimes there really was no time for explanations.

They walked together, slowing down occasionally to deal with some Grimm that decided to mess with them. A few creeps and a boarbatusk, nothing really threatening. Yang didn't remember seeing any of those in the horde, but they were relatively small and easy to overlook, so it wasn't too weird. Not more weird than one person apparently being enough of a problem to warrant an evacuation. Sure, huntsmen could get pretty strong and the White Fang had quite a few of them under their command, but there were several really experienced ones on the defender's side as well. Did they all die when the wall collapsed? That seemed unlikely. Yang kept considering different explanations and finally came to a conclusion that there was no way a single human or faunus could be that dangerous.

She only grew more convinced of that once she saw the person in question.

When she and Cardin were on the top of a small mountain of rubble, Yang has managed to spot the largest center of combat in this zone. A large group of soldiers and two senior huntsmen were all trying to subdue a single enemy combatant and seemed to be failing rather miserably. Not like it was their fault; Yang could barely even _see_ their opponent, who appeared more like a blur of red and black, jumping from one soldier to another, leaving them either in several pieces or at least falling to the ground with their blood already sprinkled over a large area. One of the huntsmen attempted to strike down this... thing with his axe, only for the swing to get parried by the crimson red sword. In a split second when both combatants stayed still, Yang could finally make out some the details.

The attacker was a tall man dressed in a black suit, which was now heavily stained with blood, but judging from a mask he was definitely a White Fang member. His hair and his sword had the same, crimson-red color, and both seemed to glow slightly from some reason. An ominous image was complemented by two large horns coming out of the man's head, presumably his faunus trait. This fitted the vague description given by the soldier with the lunette... as well as other descriptions Yang has heard.

Was that Adam Taurus? _The_ Adam Taurus, the leader of the entire White Fang, storming Atlas Academy essentially on his own?

Half a second after intercepting the axe strike, the faunus threw his opponent's weapon aside with contemptuous ease and slashed at the huntsman, cutting through his armor and skin, spilling about half a liter of blood from the human's torso. The wounded man has fallen to the ground likely not dead, but without much of chance to live through the battle due to the wide, deep wound inflicted by the blade.

An adult, professional huntsman slain just like that. In one strike. Like aura wasn't even a thing.

"That" Cardin said from behind Yang's back. "is why we are retreating. Come, they won't hold him off for long."

On one hand, Yang felt a need to jump into the fray. On the other, she knew, both instinctively and intellectually, that she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing. This... how the hell was that possible? She heard that the White Fang leader was an aura-user, one possibly on a level of a pro-huntsman, but this was just insane. Qrow wasn't that strong. _Nobody_ was that strong!

So somewhat against her nature, Yang just turned around and hurried towards their destination.

By the time they arrived at the hatch, the evacuation seemed to had been going on for a while. Soldiers were either climbing down one of the four ladders on the side of the large, vertical tunnel or waiting until it was their turn to go. Some of the awaiting ones were trying to shoot down the approaching Grimm, but really, it seemed like the huntsmen got this covered.

Just as Cardin said, Noir and Azure were there, protecting the men of arms from the Grimm. Noir, with his twin kama, was only shooting towards those that managed to get close - his weapons had a decent range being pistol equivalents, but dual wielding made aiming pretty hard. Azure was doing better in this regard with her cutlass-rifle hybrid. The weapon seemed to be made mostly from bronze, though there was also some gold alloy near the edges. Yang had once asked whether Azure was trying to copy Pyrrha Nikos with the color scheme. Azure responded with the request for Yang to go to hell, which was pretty much a confirmation.

When the two spotted Yang, they both took a second-long break from shooting and put on weak smiles. Yang responded with her own, also not very bright smile and joined them in their task. There were no words exchanged - they would probably be lost in the sound of gunfire anyway. And besides, nonverbal communication was pretty much the norm for them by now.

The shooting went on for about two more minutes. Grimm were getting more numerous as the fight went on, but they still were not a match for a full team of huntsmen supported by atlesian soldiers. Far more worrying were the flashes of red from the distance, indicating that Taurus was using whatever weird power he had to deal with his adversaries, or maybe rather victims. During the first minute, a few soldiers ran from that direction to join the queue, but they eventually stopped coming. It meant that all the soldiers who were not with them or down in the tunnel were either dead, too wounded to walk or determined to hold their main enemy off. Yang doubted any of them actually hoped to beat Taurus. Not after seeing what he is capable of.

When there were no more 'regular' combatants around, the huntsmen jumped down the tunnel, not even bothering with the ladders- the damage taken from such a fall was fairly minimal. They were met with a long corridor, with an automated turret attached to a wall every few meters. They headed down this underpass, Cardin stopping for a moment to press a switch responsible for closing a hatch. With a sound of metal grinding, the entrance has been sealed.

It was a good defense against the enemy combatants, and even better against the Grimm. The bigger ones wouldn't be able to get to the tunnel at all. The smaller ones would have to get through the thick layer of metal, survive the fall and somehow get through the corridor under constant gunfire only to face their prey bunkered at the perfect defensive position. It would certainly stop all the Grimm...

But would it stop Adam Taurus?

"Wait!" Yang shouted to her teammates. They all paused and looked at her expectantly. "What are we going to do afterwards?"

"What do you mean afterwards?" Azure asked, visibly annoyed. "We have to get out of here before..."

"Before that guy gets there?" Yang interjected. "Why? So we can get slaughtered elsewhere? He destroyed a quarter of the Academy with that attack and already killed most people here. He will cut through any defenses we have." Other huntsmen seemed to consider her words. "But maybe with an element of surprise... I don't know how he got so strong, but he is still just a hu- faunus, right? If we make a stand here we might just get a lucky shot."

"If we don't get lucky, we die." remarked Noir.

"And if we do, we might win this war. Or at least damage the Fang in any way." Yang didn't like their chances either, but the future looked grim regardless of what choice they would make. They had to take the more promising option, even if that option was shitty as well.

Right now, the members of team CYAN were the only ones in this part of the corridor. There was no military officer whom they could discuss this dilemma with, though in the end it didn't really matter. They cooperated with the military and did what they were told for the most part, but in life or death scenario there was only one person qualified to make a decision.

"We are fighting here." Cardin declared after a few seconds of thought, seconds which felt like eternity. And just like that, both Azure and Noir turned to face towards the entrance. There was no further arguing - they would all trust their leader with their lives in a heartbeat. Funny, how far they had come since Beacon.

Hopefully that wouldn't be the end.

Another few second later they were all prepared - as much as they could be at least. Weapons were fully loaded, any aura damage they took regenerated, any semblance of fear within them repressed. They were through tough, even hopeless moments before, but now... they were almost fully convinced that they would die.

But at least it would be in good company.

"If we don't make it through this-" Azure started, only to be interrupted.

"Oh come on, you could at least come up with something more original." Azure wore a very weak smile on her face, eyes locked on the sights.

"Let's go out with a Yang?" the other huntress suggested. It was the first pun she has made for a long time. That's why in earned chuckles from the others, even Cardin, despite admittedly not being very good.

But alas, some horned jerk has come to ruin the mood.

The hatch fell on the floor with a deafening thud, and a moment later their enemy landed on top of it. Adam Taurus, just as expected. He looked just like Yang has seen him several minutes ago, only covered in more blood, probably not his. The masked face showed no emotion - there was no 'slasher smile', no expression of surprise and certainly no fear, not even when a cascade of bullets shot at him.

The faunus ran towards them, deflecting every single projectile aimed at him. His sword has again turned into a red blur, like it was in several places at once. Maybe if the turrets were active already, he would have had some problem dealing with all the gunfire. Maybe. If. Here and now, their ranged attacks had no effect.

Well, one of them had. When Taurus was about half-way between the broken hatch and his foes, Cardin has discharged an explosive blast from his mace. Whoever or whatever their opponent was, he apparently didn't have the ability to deflect explosions, as the blast caused him to temporarily halt in his advance as he was pushed a step back, away from the huntsmen. There was no telling how much aura had been taken from the faunus, but the attack has at the very least given them an extra second to switch their weapons to melee mode. It was time to see how the White fang leader would deal with all of team CYAN coming at him at once.

He dealt with it fairly well.

Despite having attacked in near-perfect synchrony, none of the four huntsmen managed to connect their strike. Taurus was just moving too quickly. In once second he was before them, and in the following one he was behind them with a perfect opportunity for a counter-attack.

Azure and Noir have fallen first. There was no telling which one of them was _the_ first to take the killing blow - it all seemed to happen in the exact same moment. In a single, incredibly fast swing, the red sword has cut through both huntsmen's bodies like a hot knife through butter. Azure was nearly cut in half as the blade went through her chest and managed only to blink in disbelief before falling onto the floor. Noir has faced a similar fate, except his superior reflexes prompted him to throw his arm in front of him in defense, only to have it severed before the sword cut through his torso. For a moment, he stood there looking at the stump in disbelief, only to waver and fall to a floor beside his teammate. He passed out before hitting the ground, maybe dead already if he was lucky. They said that unconsciousness didn't always mute the pain.

The sight of two of her teammates getting killed has caused Yang to - an unforgivable sin during the fight - pause for a moment. And then her semblance kicked in, turning her eyes red and engulfing her in flames.

She launched towards Taurus with all of her might. She hoped that even if he blocked the attack or cut through her, she would knock him down with her impact alone. Her target must have seen that possibility, for instead of blocking or attacking himself, he simply stepped to the side, though faster than any regular person could. This caused Yang to hit the air instead of her opponent and left her completely defenseless as the faunus raised his bloodied sword...

And used it to block the mace that would have otherwise impacted with his head.

Yang didn't think Cardin was capable of striking with such a speed. He covered the distance in a fraction of a second, and the force behind the blow was enough to generate a shockwave which carried through the corridor and - which somehow felt even more impressive - push the crimson sword back an inch. For a moment, the two men stared at each other's eyes. For a moment, it was actually a contest of strength and not a one-sided slaughter.

And then the red blade cut through the mace's handle.

And then it cut through Cardin Winchester's throat.

As there wasn't as much force behind the strike, the huntsman didn't fall down immediately. He blinked and looked in surprise on his blood-stained chest plate. A moment later, his knees bent and he fell into the floor besides his teammates, gave out a few chocking sounds and only then did his eyes become numb and motionless.

The bleeding stopped few seconds later.

Yang's eyes, iliac now when the anger turned to shock, kept jumping from one fallen friend to another. She felt... she didn't really feel anything to be honest. No more anger, no sadness, no fear of impending doom; Just the knowledge that she just lost her team in a span of several seconds.

Adam Taurus stood there, his hair and sword synchronically pulsating with red light. He looked over his opponents, a strange expression on his face.

 _What is he waiting for? I'm ready to be killed right now._ A thought pierced through the curtain of shock. After another while, the faunus set his sight on Yang.

"You decided to stay when everyone else ran." he spoke. "That is a rare sentiment among humans."

Anger returned. Yang's eyes turned back to red, red like the centre of a flame, red like the killer's sword, red like her friends' blood.

She stood up. She still had her aura intact, she still had a strength to fight. With clenched fists and a roar of anger, she launched herself at Taurus once more, this time without any semblance of a plan or a rational thought, determined to bring him down or die trying.

A flash of red was the last thing she ever saw.

* * *

 **Everyone dies. The end. Seriously though, so far I wanted to set up the situation for the actual story to take off. As I said, I do have some plans, but realistically speaking, I'm not sure how much of it can ever be realized. Guess I will just keep on updating and see if it goes anywhere.**


	4. The Fallen

**Here you go. There should be no time-skips from this point onwards, now that the actual plot takes off.**

* * *

The darkness was creeping over, slowly overtaking Vale. The sun would soon disappear behind a horizon, but right now it was still illuminating the city enough for Ruby to walk the streets without the need for artificial lighting. It was really convenient, as few of the street lamps were still operational and a torch would require batteries to work - almost a luxury in those times, especially for people like her.

After the war ended, she was forced to move from her old home in Patch. Not by anyone's order or a threat, but simply because Grimm activity was so high that living outside of a major city - especially without her weapon or anyone to watch her back - was practically impossible these days. Right now she was living in Vale - which was now mostly rebuilt, though there were still some reminders of an invasion having taken place here - and working in one of the newly opened weapon factories.

Still, at least she had enough funds for food and shelter. The file of lien in her pocket would easily get her several meals and maybe even some trinket from the market. Really, it wasn't as bad as it could have been...

Oh, who was she kidding. Things were awful for her and for most of the world right now. The White Fang... they ruled Remnant now. How were they able to subjugate all Four Kingdoms in only two years was a subject of many theories, some more realistic than others.

Ruby didn't care about any of these. It didn't matter how the White Fang have triumphed, only that they did, and it was pretty damn terrible.

And the way they have achieved that... Violence was only entertaining when used against the Grimm. This war... Humans against the faunus. Human defectors against humans. Faunus loyalists against other faunus and human defectors. Thousands of people fighting each other, always aiming to kill as many people from the other side as possible.

They did get her father. And, apparently, they got Yang too...

Ruby shook those thoughts away. She has already spent enough time mourning her family and beating herself over not being able to help them. She just had to keep living... even if there was no compelling reason why.

Following the route she had memorized long ago, Ruby took a turn into another dim-lit alley. In a way, this street was a perfect representation of what Vale has became. Dark, littered and with lots of 'wanted' posters on the walls. Some faces she could recognize by now - you couldn't go two turns in Vale without seeing a poster calling for team JNPR to be apprehended. Aside from them, there were other 'rogue' huntsmen, some military officials who refused to surrender after Vale fell, a couple politicians who failed to cut a deal with the Fang.

Because some of them did. There were humans, although few, who thrived under a new rule. Those who fought on the invaders' side during the war - or were just really useful and willing to cooperate with their oppressors - were considered equal to the faunus in status.

Below them was the general populace. The rabble, as faunus liked to call them. People like Ruby, like all the other factory workers and the majority of humanity. They have retained some legal rights in this system, but had no voice in how their nation was being run, having to trust their new overlords on that front. Some faunus had been delegated to that group for refusing to condone the White Fang's actions. Ruby respected these people, but most of her fellow humans hated them all the same. It seemed like having a common enemy just wasn't enough to unite people, not even now.

On the bottom of the ladder there were slaves. Exclusively human, treated hardly better than cattle. Taken as war prisoners, sentenced to slavery for some legal offence or just kidnapped illegally and sold on the market. This, in particular, made Ruby wonder how anybody, human or faunus, think that the White Fang taking over was a good thing. Even the infamous Schnee Dust Company never _actually_ practiced slavery. The faunus may have been mistreated, but they haven't suffered anything worse than what they were inflicting on others now... have they?

These thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone approach from the corner. That didn't bode well. Many steps could be heard, so it must have been a group of people. It could be just a bunch of workers coming back from their jobs, but it could also be...

Ruby didn't want to take any risks. She looked around, hoping to find someplace to hide. There wasn't one. Not even a trash container to jump into.

But even without her weapon and completely out of shape, Ruby had some advantages over a regular person. In an instant she activated her semblance and in an instant she jumped upwards, landing on a nearby rooftop. Curiously, she peeked down, hoping to see whether or not her worries were justified.

They were. A group of people in dark suits emerged from the corner. They had no visible faunus features, but they walked with a kind of arrogance which implied that they had nothing to fear, even in a murky street of a crime-ridden city.

Because they really had nothing to fear. Ruby recognized them as militants - a rather inaccurate name given to Torchwick's elite goons. Each night they would patrol the streets under the excuse of enforcing the curfew and providing safety to the citizens. In reality, they mostly roamed around and robbed whatever house or shop caught their eyes. Although to be fair, they did enforce the curfew; whatever human met them got beaten up and stripped of their valuables at best or captured and sold to slavery at worst. Ruby didn't expect them to be active so early, and probably neither did other people in the neighborhood. It was likely the militants would run into somebody this evening...

Ruby watched them examine the rose petals she left behind. Had she ran down the street, they would probably track her down by following the trail, but since the petals were concentrated in one place they could only stand there in confusion. Eventually they all shrugged and moved on to some other alley.

Ruby felt a wave of relief washing over her. Part of her was embarrassed at being so afraid of regular people. Two years ago she wiped the asphalt with Torchwick's men and even sent the master criminal himself running. But now... even if she could beat the group below, it would paint a target on her back. _She_ would be the criminal to be hunted down and, unlike Torchwick back then, she would have no allies in the underworld to help her. Not to mention, the punishment awaiting her would be much harsher than a stay in a humanely-ran prison.

Ruby just sat on a rooftop for a moment, staring at the city as it was engulfed by the darkness. She remembered the days long gone, when she wanted to make the world a better place. She was so confident that she could become a huntress, to slay monsters and to help those in need. And yet, when the world was in danger, she did nothing.

She was no hero.

She was just a pathetic kid, crying under the black sky.

* * *

Weiss' aura flared weakly in the darkness of a cell as she dug her nails into the skin. What once served to protect her and helped slay enemies, now was used as an improvised source of light. In moments like that, the huntress was glad she had her aura active.

Those were rare moments, however. For the most part, Weiss hated it with passion.

If she had her aura locked, like most people, she would be dead already. Either by the hand of that assassin in the mansion, or early on after getting captured. Unfortunately, she had a working pool of aura and was trained in using it to the point of it working almost independently of her conscious will.

It protected her against injuries, whether she wanted it or not, and healed whatever small wounds she received. But it did little to protect her from pain. The White Fang knew what they were doing; they always avoided causing her damage that could prove fatal, instead resorting to small cuts, burnings and electric shocks. Each one of them as painful as they could make it.

They didn't want anything from her, of course. No information, no confession, nothing but her suffering. It made some amount of sense, she supposed. After all, if they killed or enslaved humans on regular basis, then it would be unfair for a Schnee, their hated enemy, to get off that lightly.

Or it might have had something to do with that assassin Weiss had managed to kill. Maybe a combination of both. Ilia Amitola, if she recalled correctly. She was somebody high-ranking, or at least had the ear of someone high-ranking judging from how often she was mentioned by the guards. It would also explain why none of other Schnee family members was tormented nearly as much as Weiss.

Both of her parents were killed during the attack on the mansion, though in Jacques' case it was probably a case of somebody being too enthusiastic with killing - if the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company was captured alive, he would not be granted a swift demise for certain. Winter was killed during the battle of Atlas, went out fighting just as Weiss expected she would. Good for her. Surprisingly enough, nobody has yet taunted her about Whitley being killed or tortured, even though he had no chance of making it out of the mansion alone. Maybe he managed to negotiate his life with the attackers somehow. Maybe somebody within the White Fang still had enough conscience not to kill children just like that. Either way, she wished her brother all the best. She might have not liked him before all that happened, but now all the grudges she held against her family seemed petty and insignificant.

While reminiscing about her family, Weiss heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the corridor behind the cell's door. That usually meant one of two things; either somebody was coming to take her away for another round of torture or just to bring he food and kick her a few times. The second option seemed more probable, as Weiss hadn't been taken from her cell for a long time now. Apparently, even tormenting a Schnee can get boring with time.

Well, there was always a third option. That the White Fang finally decided to put her out of her misery. It was a grim hope, and a meager one at that, but it was the only hope Weiss had at the moment.

So she held onto it as the door was opened and light flooded the cell.

* * *

Darkness. Complete, impenetrable, never-ending. Yang has just finished her three hundredth circle around her cell- or a room as the faunus have been referring to it. There wasn't much to do except for walking around, except maybe punching inefficiently at the wall or screaming insults at her captors. She has been living like this for a full year now. A year since Adam Taurus killed her entire team. Since he destroyed the Atlas Academy and all but won the war in a single day. Since he launched the attack that would leave her permanently blinded.

They said she was lucky. That she was one of the few survivors from Atlas and probably the only person to live through their leader's ultimate attack. Lucky or not, Yang didn't exactly felt content with her situation. She wished she had died alongside her teammates, or even that she had a chance to off herself later on. Death would have been a better fate than this.

Oh, sure, the faunus that held her imprisoned didn't treat her as badly as one could expect. Soon after her last-ever battle she was picked up from the rubble, given medical attention and cared for afterwards. Nobody tried to torture her, put her to slave labor or do anything... equally unpleasant. Right now she was in Menagerie, or so she had been told, locked in a cell and 'equipped' with an anklet that somehow disrupted her aura, making it impossible for her to punch a hole in the wall and start causing mayhem. It looked like she was a valuable prisoner to them... though maybe 'trophy' was a more fitting term.

It was still a nightmare. The absence of physical pain only meant that there was nothing to distract her from despair.

Yang had tried everything she could, but in her current state there was simply no way to escape. Not to freedom, not in death. So instead, she just kept on walking, even though her legs were starting to ache. It usually helped her keep a clear mind, as if clear of all and any thoughts, but on some random days it was just too hard to filter them all. Some managed to get through and they all brought one emotion - despair. There was no fear, no guilt, not even anger, only despair.

 _We have lost_ Yes they have. They lost completely and utterly. But there was no real way to prevent that defeat and there certainly wouldn't be any way to reverse it.

 _I failed as a huntress_ Not from a fault of her own of course. She did what she could to protect the world, but it was just not enough...

 _At least Ruby might be safe_ That thought was almost happy. Last time Yang checked, Ruby was on Patch, far away from any battle or massacre. From what she had heard, the kingdom of Vale hasn't suffered any major damage since the invasion during which her father died. She didn't dare ask about anyone in particular, fearing they would become a target, but she hoped that her little sister was managing herself. Maybe she would live to see a better day.

For Yang, it was far too late. She had no reason to stay and wait for a better day. She would not get to see it anyway.

She just wanted to fade...

* * *

 **What do you think? Was that depressing enough, or should I try harder? Seriously though, I will try to make subsequent chapter a little less... brutal for the characters.**

 **I would appreciate any and all feedback, positive or not.**


	5. The Lionized

Adam Taurus won.

It was a weird feeling. Sure, he has emerged victorious from many battles during the war and multiple minor raids before that, but each victory was just another step towards his goal. A goal which most people have considered to be impossible. Adam himself often doubted whether or not he could really bring the entire human race down.

And yet, it has been done. For the first time in history, the faunus have truly triumphed over their oppressors. Not just won the right to live among humans as pariahs, like after the Faunus Rights Revolution. They have beaten, humiliated and subjugated the humans, finally delivering justice that mankind truly deserved. And he, Adam Taurus, was the one to lead his kind to this victory.

Suffice to say, it felt pretty great.

Right now he was in Menagerie, walking down the street in an upper district of Kuo Kuana. What once was just some barren island in the corner of the world has now become the unofficial capitol of Remnant. While it was still overcrowded, Menagerie was one of the few places untouched by the war. Placing the seat of government here was the most logical option and it just so happened to fit the new power structure really well. Four Kingdoms, now with actual kings and queens instead of councils, all independent of each other and overseen by a supreme government that the White Fang has been transformed into.

As Adam walked the street, several bystander faunus stopped to bow or kneel before him. From some of them, it was a genuine expression of adoration. Others showed mostly fear. He has earned quite a bit of both after his performance during the War, especially his assault on Atlas Academy. And rightfully so; He had single-handedly destroyed the enemy's greatest fortress and killed most of their remaining soldiers. None of his opponents - save one, though she hadn't exactly come out unscathed either - has survived as much as a single strike of his sword and nobody out of an entire division has managed to noticeably reduce his aura. Soon after the battle General Ironwood himself issued official surrender. Now _that_ deserved some recognition.

Shame he had to become part-Grimm to achieve that.

And wasn't that thought cheerful. On the surface Adam didn't look anything like a Grimm, save for his mask. After all, he wouldn't have made for a very good leader had he been transformed into some big, scary monster. He didn't really feel like a Grimm either; He didn't want to kill humans any more than he wanted before and his mind was that of a man, not a wild beast. Still, if he was to receive a wound, his blood would be revealed to be pitch black. And his eyes... well, that was just one more reason to wear a mask at all times.

A pair of guards bowed their heads before the High Leader as he walked through the entrance gate to his palace, or rather the garden surrounding it. Adam didn't really like it. The plants themselves were admittedly pretty, but they just looked out of place. Brought there from all corners of Remnant and planted in artificial soil, they made for something of an incomplete picture. There weren't even any animals to occupy the place, unless you counted the singular black bird which has taken off at the sight of Adam. It made him feel like some kind of burglar and not the actual owner of the place.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Adam entered the building. It was only a few months old, built soon after the end of the War. It was much larger than the former lair of the High Leader in Mistral and fittingly so. Back then, the leader of the White Fang was just commanding a revolutionary group. Now, he was an undisputed ruler of Remnant.

Well, not a sole ruler. Each Kingdom was governed by a monarch, chosen from the War's greatest heroes, expected to follow High Leader's orders, but otherwise free in how they choose to run their domain. There were the Albain brothers, invaluable in managing the empire that White Fang has created and governing Menagerie. There was Watts, officially named a spymaster, with the authority to have anyone under their rule, human or faunus, imprisoned or killed at a moment's notice. And then there was… she.

The real ruler of Remnant.

Adam pushed the door open and entered the dim-lit chamber. It was big and empty, save for the Grimm standing, no, floating in the middle of the room. It looked creepy, but wasn't overly dangerous on its own. It was little more than a tool for communication. The bull faunus would greatly prefer to face something like a giant deathstalker instead, but he had a call to answer. Or so to speak.

Adam knelt down on the floor as the image formed in the... eye of a Grimm he supposed. It showed a face of the woman, if she could be called that, whom Adam had served for years now.

"It is good to see you, Adam Taurus." she said in that chilling voice of hers. "It has been a while since our last talk. How have things progressed since then?"

The faunus didn't feel a need to ask Salem to be more specific. He knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to know whether or not her grand plan was unfolding. But Adam didn't really have the best news in that regard, so he decided to play dumb for a moment.

"Your rule over Remnant is undisputable. For months now there had been no serious attempt to overthrow us in any of the..."

"Stop" Salem interrupted, and Adam obliged. "I will rephrase that question; Have you made any progress in acquiring the Relics or eliminating Ozpin?"

"Not that I heard of" the High Leader admitted. "I haven't talked to any of the Monarchs since I left for Menagerie. I went to speak with you as soon as I arrived here." It was true, though Adam omitted his reasons for not calling any of his lieutenants before talking to Salem. If their results were poor, like they probably were, then there wouldn't be any way for him to sugarcoat the situation. This way he could at least give her a vague response and save her wrath for later, if only a little later.

Adam half-expected for the Seer's tentacles to start strangling him, but if Salem saw through his motives, she didn't let it show. Instead she spoke again, in a perfectly calm tone. "I must say, you disappoint me, Adam Taurus. I put you in a position of ruler ship over humanity as well as gave you the direct power to destroy armies at a whim. And yet, long after your victory, you failed to bring my goals any further to reality. Why is so? Are you having doubts about your mission?"

Well yes, Adam was unsure whether or not he wanted Salem to succeed. That plan of hers... she was pretty vague about the details, but it apparently involved opposing _gods_ in one way or another. Still, the faunus knew better than to voice those doubts.

"No, my Queen. I'm sorry, but our targets somehow manage to stay out of our sight." Adam tried to keep the fear out of his voice, even though there was really no benefit to doing so. Salem knew he was afraid.

"Shame." she sighed. "I really expected things to move faster now that the Kingdoms have fallen. You have succeeded in defeating our enemies, but failed to utilize this victory."

That didn't sound very reassuring.

"Do not worry" Salem seemed to notice Adam's worry. "You have proven to be a valuable resource for our cause and so you won't be dismissed. I am simply wondering whether or not you new position suits you well."

And if she concluded it didn't, the authority over the Kingdoms would be quietly handed over to somebody else. Watts? Cinder? _Tyrian?_ None of these options bode well for the faunus, or anything else for that matter.

"I understand your concern" Adam replied carefully "but I would like to ask for more time. Now that the chaos has settled, we should have more ease searching for information. For all I know, one of the other four could have made a breakthrough and be waiting to report it right now."

Salem didn't raise her eyebrows, but she did give Adam a questioning look. "I suppose you might be correct. I will indeed give you more time, though I advise you not to waste it."

And with that the image dissolved. Adam sighed. The talk went about as good as he might have expected. Salem wasn't a bad boss per say, but she had high expectations of her subordinates and there wasn't much hope of overthrowing her. Unlike Sienna, the Queen of Grimm probably wouldn't go down in a single stab.

Heck, Adam wouldn't even be able to attack her. His Grimm nature gave Salem some kind of direct control over him, both physically and mentally. For all he knew, she could be using her influence to make the bull faunus more afraid of her. Not that she needed to, as she was quite scary on her own.

Adam was trapped. But it was a pleasant trap, one in which he enjoyed power and acclaim and his people flourished. It was in his best interest to remain alive and in Salem's service.

Though that could prove quite hard if the others didn't have anything useful.

* * *

Leonardo Lionheart sat in his office. It was a small, cozy and well-lit room, in stark contrast to his large and shady throne room which, in his opinion, befitted some sort of evil overlord.

To be fair, Leo _was_ basically an evil overlord right now. But that didn't mean he had to like it. He hated his new position, he hated how he got it and he hated himself for what he had become.

Thing was... he hated the thought of being killed by Salem even more.

During the War, Leonardo carried out his orders to the letter. He convinced several dozen huntsmen and huntresses to join the White Fang in their conquest of Mistral and killed just as many who wouldn't betray their kingdom for any reason. When the White Fang came to destroy Haven Academy, Leo let them in and left the school before it was blown up to shreds. Afterwards, when his betrayal became known, the former headmaster fought alongside other faunus in their war against humanity, although he always preferred to stay away from the front lines. And after all the resistance has been squashed, Leonardo was named the King of Mistral as a reward for his service. It wasn't something he asked for, but it made him more valuable to Salem, so he took the position.

Ironically, governing the biggest country in Remnant has proven itself easier than being a Headmaster. All Leo had to do was to listen to the reports given to him, occasionally say 'yes' or 'no' to some question - it's not like anyone had the guts to question his decisions - and inform the High Leader of the situation every once in a while.

Speaking of which, Leo was just about to report to Taurus, who was requesting a call from him. The King of Mistral adjusted his tie, took a deep breath and then pressed the 'receive' button on the holographic device which served him for long-distance communication.

The silhouette of Adam Taurus appeared in the centre of the room. The High Leader looked just as Leo remembered him. Tall, spiked hair, a pair of horns and a Grimm mask which befitted his true nature, both metaphorically and literally now that Grimm blood was flowing in his veins. While Taurus wasn't nearly as powerful or quite as intimidating in appearance as Salem, he still wasn't someone safe to mess with. Therefore, Leo made sure to use a polite tone as he spoke:

"High Leader" the lion faunus bowed slightly, "You wanted to speak to me, is that correct?"

"I wouldn't have called if I hadn't wanted to talk, would I?" Taurus answered with a hint of irritation in his voice, but judging from the expression on his face he enjoyed being shown respect. "I would like you to give me the rundown of the situation in Mistral. I received your reports, but I figured there might have been something too confidential to sent it like that."

"Well," Leo started, "The situation can be best described as stable. There have been no major uprisings, not since we hanged the perpetrators of the last one and burned its leader at stake." No visible reaction from Taurus. Not that Leo expected any. "The economy is doing pretty well now that the shipments of dust from Solitas arrive regularly. The unemployment rate is approximately six point five percent for the upper class, eleven point eight percent for the rabble and zero percent for slaves, because, you know..."

"Yes, I get that." Taurus sighed. "Remember that we need some people to work in the mines and in the Grimm infested areas. And since those people are likely to be unhappy with our rule, it is better if they work in chains."

Lionheart nodded at that. Slavery was another one of those things that he really didn't like enforcing, but like the High Leader said, it worked to the benefit of their regime. Leo calmed his conscience by not utilizing slave labor in his palace or any of his other dwellings... though when he really thought about it, all it meant was that all those humans would be working for somebody else and likely in worse living conditions. Damn it, even when he wanted to do something good for a change it ended up being an evil deed somehow.

"Anyways" Taurus continued, "I'm glad to hear that everything is going well on that front. What about more sensitive projects?"

Leo didn't answer that, because there really was no good answer. His search for Ozpin has yielded no results, nor was any of the remaining three Maidens found in Mistral. The other monarchs haven't made much progress either, but since Mistral was the largest of Kingdoms Leonardo was expected to bring the best results on that front. Rather unfairly, he would have added if he was brave enough to say that out loud.

"I mean the Maidens." Taurus growled, mistaking Leo's reluctance to answer for the lack of understanding. "Or that Ozpin entity. Or the silver-eyed warriors. Have you found nothing interesting?"

"Sadly, no." the lion faunus replied. "I tried my best, but if Ozpin or any of the Maidens is in my domain, then they are hiding themselves pretty well. As for the silver-eyed, I'm inclined to think that they are completely extinct at this point. The only way to make more sure of that would be to just kill anyone with a grayish shade of irises in the Kingdom."

Taurus fell silent for a moment and Leo feared he might actually take the final suggestion seriously. Instead, the bull faunus simply sighed once more. "Look Leo, I know you are doing your best. I didn't exactly make much progress either, nor did any of the others for all I know. But Salem wants to see some results soon and if she doesn't get them... I'm not going to take the blame."

And the blame would fall on the King Lionheart instead. While he was relatively new to their faction, Taurus understood their mistress pretty well. She had little patience for failure - not to the point of killing her underlings instantly for messing up of course, but she wouldn't hesitate to get rid of a useless pawn. And since he had done nothing to further her plans for the last year, Leo was certainly starting to look like one. But then he recalled something...

"Actually, I think I have a trail of sorts." Taurus' eyebrows likely went up beneath the mask. "There is this huntsman by the name of Qrow Branwen. One of Ozpin's most trusted men before the war. Nobody reported killing him, even though we put a huge bounty on his head, so he is likely still alive somewhere."

"I think I remember discussing this with Cinder," the bull faunus replied after a moment. "Do you know his location?"

"Not exactly." Leo coughed nervously, "But I do have something on him. He has a twin sister, Raven, who leads a bandit tribe roaming the borderlands. Recent reports have confirmed that the tribe has survived both the war and its fallout. Now, if I understand correctly, Raven has a semblance which allows her to open a portal to the people she has bonded with. Assuming she is still alive and able to use her semblance, we could persuade her to open a portal to Qrow, either by promising her something or just threatening her tribe with force."

"Interesting." Taurus remarked. "You should definitely look into it. If the others have a similar clue each, maybe the Queen will be satisfied."

Those have proven to be High Leader's departing words, as the hologram disappeared a moment later. Leo sighed, took a seat behind his desk and began planning.

 _I'm sorry Qrow,_ he thought, _But you have chosen the losing side in all of this. And that is not a forgivable mistake._

* * *

Tyrian Callows was bored.

The place he was in was boring. He has heard all the things about Vacuo, how dangerous it was and how hardy the people were. It sounded so interesting, so _fun_ when described like that. But now that he got to rule the place, it turned out to be less colorful than it sounded.

Not that Tyrian was particularly enthusiastic about that role in the first place. He enjoyed hunting and killing people too much to care about some government position. Thing was, Watts and Hazel didn't want it either and The Queen - _The_ Queen, not one of those two bags of tits in charge of the other Kingdoms - wanted one of her direct servants to take the throne and giving it to the scorpion faunus was deemed the best choice. It was also important for Tyrian to rule Vacuo out of all the Kingdoms. Something about it being so easy that not even he could screw it up. Well that didn't make him feel very validated.

Oh, Tyrian was happy to serve his goddess in any way he could. It's just that... he really wished there was another way to do that. Like ruling the Kingdom that hosted some level of resistance. While in other parts of the world there still were some people resisting the Queen's benevolent rule, Vacuo has surrendered pretty much right after Atlas has fallen. What little army this pathetic kingdom had was too scared to even try and fight the White Fang. As for the people, they mostly didn't care who was in charge. They certainly didn't care enough to make an armed effort to overthrow him. Tyrian had to go out and pick fights with random people on the streets, most of whom failed to provide much of a challenge.

Maybe he should set up some sort of gladiatorial ring, so that he could watch those weaklings struggle to fight each other? Well that sounded like an excellent idea!

Unfortunately, before Tyrian could call one of his servants and order them to start setting things up, the device built into his throne started to hum in this particularly annoying tone. That meant that Adam Taurus, the uptight jerk and attention thief was calling to talk with Tyrian. The King of Vacuo sighed loudly and pressed the 'receive' button.

Sure enough, the hologram of the 'High Leader' appeared before his throne. It was levitating a few feet in the air, so that Tyrian wouldn't tower over Adam from his elevated throne. Still, the scorpion faunus slouched on his chair in order to give off the impression of superiority over his interlocutor.

"Tyrian Callows" Taurus said with audible contempt in his voice, "Are you enjoying your time as the King of Vacuo? More importantly, is Vacuo still standing?"

"Affirmative to the second question." replied Tyrian, "You can guess the answer to the first one based on that."

"Well that's a relief. How is the Kingdom doing though?" Taurus asked, rather pointlessly at that. Vacuo was as it has always been.

"It's hot and there's sand everywhere." Tyrian replied honestly. Weirdly enough, the High Leader didn't appear satisfied with this answer.

"I know it's hot." he growled, "But what about the unemployment rates?" Tyrian looked at him with confusion. "The public opinion?" Tyrian kept looking. "The urbanization rate?" Tyrian raised an eyebrow at that. "Ugh, you are just hopeless. I really wish Salem let me place Banesaw on your place."

That comment has managed to deeply offend Tyrian. Not because Taurus suggested that this 'Banesaw' would be a better ruler for Vacuo. He probably would be, to be honest, whoever he was. The issue was much more serious than that.

"Did you just imply that our divine savior has made the wrong decision?" Tyrian asked with tranquil fury in his voice. When he received no answer from the other faunus, the 'tranquil' part went out of the window.

"How dare you!" he screamed at the High Leader. "You filthy heretic!"

"Heretic?" Confusion and annoyance were mixed in Taurus' voice. "We don't need to even have any religion! Salem doesn't actually expect us to..."

"You break the tenets of our holy faith!" Tyrian aimed his finger at the hologram accusingly. "Kill the heretic! Burn the maiden! Purge the human!"

"We are not supposed to..." The High Leader was clearly prepared to scream some more nonsense at Tyrian, but he composed himself mid-sentence. "Speaking of which, did you manage to find any maiden? Or any silver-eyed warriors for that matter?"

King's anger quickly faded, replaced by a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. "Uh, not really. Was I expected to?"

"Not really" replied the bull faunus. "But Salem is quite annoyed by our lack of progress and it is sort of disappointing that you have no trail or anything... are you alright?"

Tyrian wasn't alright. In fact, he was already on the floor wailing loudly. How could he had been so stupid? He got distracted by sweet bloodshed and, in the process, neglected his duties to his Goddess.

"Um, I'll call some other time." said Taurus after a while. "Or call some of your advisors. Yes, I'll definitely do that."

And with that, the High Leader ended the call, leaving Tyrian alone with his endless shame and sorrow.

* * *

Cinder Fall was sitting on a cushioned chair in her private chamber. The room once served as an office for the Headmaster of Beacon, but since said headmaster has been dead for a while now, the new Queen of Vale took the liberty to repurpose the office so that it could suit her needs instead. The color pallet consisted mostly of red and yellow now and there were more decorations, such as the weapons of slain huntsmen and huntresses hanging from the walls. Ozpin's rusty cane occupied a place of honor, precisely opposite of Cinder's favorite chair so that she could gaze on it while reminiscing that eventful day over two years ago when she took the full power of the Fall Maiden and used it to incinerate her enemies. Almost equally prominent was a riding crop formerly belonging to Glynda Goodwitch, who deserved some measure of respect for causing Cinder way more trouble than a regular huntress should have been able to. A little bit further from the centre were Professor Port's Axe and Doctor Oobleck's thermos. Though the latter admittedly didn't look very impressive hanging on a wall like that, the two did manage to hang in there for a while and so deserved a spot each as well. In addition to the teachers, Cinder has killed her fair share of students as well, but none of them was really worthy of being honored in such a manner, so none of their armaments found their way into the queen's room .

While Cinder enjoyed sitting in her throne room as well, this room was undoubtedly her favorite one in all of her domain. It was a reminder of what she has achieved and just how much _fun_ she had achieving it. She has made her alliances almost from scratch, infiltrated the Beacon Academy, personally destroyed it and was rewarded by her mistress with everything she asked for.

 _Well, not quite everything_ , she thought as she pressed the 'receive' button on her holo device. She didn't ask for a supervisor after all.

As the holographic form of Adam Taurus appeared before her, Cinder felt an uncharacteristic urge to spit at the ground. Even though he wasn't technically her boss, even though she didn't have to carry out his orders, Cinder still hated having to answer to him. After the War, Salem decided that Taurus' achievements were somehow more worthy than those of the rest of them and so he deserved to serve as her figurehead in ruling Remnant. How was that fair, since Cinder was the one to recruit and command the bastard, not to mention kill Ozpin during the Breach, was beyond her comprehension. Still, there was no point in questioning Salem's decisions, so instead of acting on her desire to spit on the ground, the Queen of Vale adopted a polite tone of voice and spoke up.

"Adam. Did you wish to speak with me about something?" But not too polite of course.

"Indeed" he replied in that annoyingly deep voice of his. "I wouldn't have called if I didn't. I want you to give me a rundown of the situation in Vale and tell me how our... special projects are going."

Cinder took a deep breath and mentally sorted out all the information she was about to give. The less time this conversation took, the better.

"Our forces have proven capable of maintaining order in the Kingdom. There are enough White Fang soldiers here to crush any direct rebellion and Torchwick's men are good at fishing out the wannabe rebels and keep the supply of slaves steady at the same time." It turned out that the obnoxious criminal was still useful, even after all the stealing and bombing was finished. Who would have guessed? "As for the rabble, they are hardly content with us being in power, but they are usually too wrapped up in their own problems to rise up against us. Our human supporters appear to be almost unilaterally loyal, more out of fear of their brethren than anything else. Some of your people have their moral quandaries about ruling over the humans, but those are few in number and aren't very vocal about that. They are generally willing to stand back and let the hate happen."

Taurus remained silent, indicating that he didn't appreciate the irony, so Cinder carried on reporting. "As for, as you put it, special projects, I'm afraid not much progress has been made recently. I... can't figure out the trick behind the Relic of Choice." She hated to admit it, but Ozpin has done a pretty good job at keeping their main prize away from them. "No maiden has revealed herself in the Kingdom as of yet. I personally killed several women with some sort of control over the elements, but all of them turned out to be nothing more than aura-users with semblances that had bore superficial resemblance to the maiden powers. I have also ordered a throughout search for silver-eyed warriors first in the city of Vale, and then the other territories, but found no such person. And yes, I made up an excuse for the hunt other than simply me wanting to kill anyone with a specific eye color."

"I wouldn't doubt you to that extent." commented the faunus. "Are you sure nobody has slipped under the radar though? Someone could have moved from a border village, or even from Patch, to Vale in between your searches."

"You appear to be quite paranoid." Cinder rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, if any warrior appears in Vale shooting lasers out of their eyes, I'll take the responsibility for that."

"I damn hope so." Taurus replied bluntly. "What about your cover? Is it holding up?"

Oh yes, her 'cover'. As not to cause unrest among the new ruling class, they had to present a manufactured biography for the new Queen of Vale. According to the official story, she was a lizard faunus who got her tail cut off as a child by a group of racist humans. Some people pointed out that lizards grow their tails back after a while and suggested that Cinder should be tested for faunus heritage. Those people were granted a quick cremation, funded by the crown. Few wanted to follow in their footsteps.

"Intact." The Fall Maiden replied. As the faunus opened his mouth to ask something else, she rolled her eyes. "Really Adam, you don't have to ask about every single thing. I'm not Tyrian. I have things under control."

"One more thing." said Taurus, ignoring Cinder's reassurance. "You said that there is no risk of rebellion happening in Vale. But I heard there is at least one major group putting up an armed resistance. Or am I misinformed?"

Cinder rolled her eyes yet again. "You mean Arc and his little gang? They are hardly worth our attention, let alone the effort to get rid of them. If you are afraid that they will be able to threaten my rule, then you are indeed misinformed."

The High Leader clearly wasn't satisfied with that reply. "The rumors about them have reached Menagerie itself. Even if they are weak by themselves, their reputation might become a problem later on. I suggest you take care of that now, if you have nothing better to do."

By now, Cinder was barely holding back her anger. Still, throwing a fireball at the hologram would achieve precisely nothing.

"As you wish, High Leader. I'll start on that right away, if I am dismissed, that is." she said, now with a significant amount of sarcasm in her voice. Luckily the conversation didn't get to last much longer, as the faunus simply nodded his head and disconnected.

Cinder massaged her temple. She hated talking to that fool and she really hated carrying out his orders. She considered ignoring him this time around, even if that probably wasn't what Salem would wish her to do.

The thing was... she really had nothing better to do. Fighting, even if the fight was completely one-sided, was still more interesting than sitting on a throne and accepting gifts. The latter had been enjoyable for the first month or so, but lost its appeal eventually. And there was at least one fighter on the rebels' side who was worth fighting against. Miló and Akoúo̱ _would_ look pretty good on Cinder's wall.

The queen was just about to call somebody and tell them to prepare her a bullhead for the evening, but suddenly another idea struck her. An idea so clever, that even a mastermind like her could feel proud of it. There was a way to kill multiple birds with one stone.

Cinder felt like starting to laugh maniacally, but that was something more befitting of Tyrian. So instead she sat back on her chair and began plotting the details.

Adam's smugness would not last long.

* * *

Blake walked down the hall of the atlesian capitol building. The structure was almost completely destroyed during the war, but the repairs were almost finished by now and there were only a few reminders of the battle that had taken place here a little over a year ago. Overlooked bullet hole here, barely-visible crack in the wall there and the faint smell of gunpowder that somehow still hung in the air. And then there were the intentional reminders. A lot of paintings, depicting various events of the past three years, as well as an occasional statue. Blake was just passing by one of them and almost flinched at the sight of a familiar silhouette.

Ilia... it was really unfair that she died like that. She served the White Fang even before Sienna took the leadership and was first to support Adam when he ascended to the throne. She was always dedicated to the cause, even if she had her doubts. During the war she fought in many battles, eliminated several crucial targets... only to be killed right before the finish line.

Blake still remembered that night, before all of this, when Ilia told her about her parents. How they told her to pose as a human for a chance of a better life, how they died and how their deaths provoked Ilia into attacking her so called friends. At the time, Blake felt a great deal of sympathy towards the girl, but secretly wondered whether or not violence was warranted in that situation.

If breaking somebody's teeth was morally acceptable.

How could Blake ever been so stupid? So _weak_? How was she ever able to judge Ilia, or for that matter Adam, for using violence against the humans? By then she had already seen the results of her father's peaceful approach, or rather lack thereof, and she knew the history quite well. To think that there ever was an alternative to fighting back against humanity was just silly of her.

Still, she made the right choice in the end. She committed to her partner's vision and it paid off. Her people were finally truly free and Blake Belladonna had her hand in that.

The Queen of Atlas straightened her pose as walked down the corridor.

On her way to her private chamber, she passed a few living people as well. Guards, servants or other residents of the palace, as the structure began to be called recently. The first group was almost unilaterally made up of faunus. The second one consisted mostly of humans, bondsmen or free, working to maintain the place. The last group had, to Blake's wonder and disgust alike, just as many humans as it had the faunus. Mostly businessmen and officials with skills too useful for the White Fang to pass up, but there were a few war heroes and former spies as well. Each one of them bowed before the passing queen, some more deeply and more politely than the others. Some of them tried to start a conversation with her, but Blake didn't bother to respond with more than a nod of the head or a single word. She had a much more important talk awaiting her.

After entering her room, Blake walked straight towards the mirror in order to evaluate her appearance. It was rather silly of her - Adam saw her covered in blood on more than one occasion - but they haven't seen each other for a while and she wanted to look as good as possible.

Luckily, she pretty much did. As a queen she had to instill a sense of inferiority in her subjects, and that required her to look the part. Subtle eyeshades and lipstick, perfectly made hair, silver piercings on her 'human' pair of ears and a golden necklace that supposedly belonged to the Mantle royal family back in the day. There were talks about giving her some kind of tiara, but it would somewhat obscure her cat ears, which would be an unwelcome gesture in the new, faunus-centric regime.

Blake felt like she should find all of this irritating, or at least feel somewhat overwhelmed, but in truth she _did_ enjoy that princess-like attire. It felt sort of embarrassing to admit it, but hey - she spent most of her life either travelling from place to place or fighting. She wouldn't say no to a bit of luxury now that the fight was over.

When Blake was confident in her looks, she turned the holographic transmitter on and waited for the connection to form. Sure enough, not a minute later a silhouette appeared before her.

Adam Taurus. Contrary to Blake, he hasn't changed his appearance very much. He wore one of his black suits and the signature mask. His hair wasn't exactly neatly made, probably due to how hard brushing it must be with those horns getting in the way. Naturally, he had Wilt and Blush with him, as if he expected to get into the fight at any moment.

Not that he was being unreasonable in that regard. There were many humans who just didn't know when to quit and would just keep trying to kill their new rulers, as if they were the ones at fault for humanity's well-deserved fall.

And they weren't. They had been merely… reacting… getting even after centuries of oppression.

Blake shook these thoughts away and smiled. "It's good to see you Adam. Sorry for not being able to pick up earlier."

"It's alright." Adam sighed. "I called the other three in the meantime and asked a few questions each."

The other Monarchs. The rulers, or rather supervisors of the Kingdoms.

"And... how did it go?" Blake asked, though she could guess the answer from the tired tone of Adam's voice.

"How do you think?!" Blake tensed as her partner angrily replied. "Lionheart is too cowardly, Tyrian is too crazy and Cinder is too busy feeding her ego to actually do anything useful. None of them had anything interesting to say and Tyrian actually started crying in the middle of the conversation. I feel less like a High Leader and more like some kind of babysitter!"

"I, uhm, couldn't exactly find anything interesting either. No maidens, spirits or anything." Though to be fair, Blake didn't really have a chance to. Atlas has been in chaos long after Ironwood's surrender. Blake spent most of her 'regency' sitting in a bunker, because the rebels would keep trying to assassinate her and the capitol was deemed too dangerous for her until very recently.

"I know, I didn't really expect you to." Adam replied, his anger fading. He might have meant that Blake didn't have time to do anything important as of yet, but he could also be doubting her capabilities as a ruler. Blake wouldn't blame him if he did.

"Adam, I'm... I'm not sure if this is right." she decided to share her concerns. "Me as a queen, I mean. Is there nobody who would fit better?" though if someone was to replace Blake, she would be taking the entire state library with her. _That_ was totally worth the stress.

"Blake, your father was a ruler of an entire country." her partner pointed out, much to Blake's discomfort. She didn't like to have her parents mentioned. "You are pretty much the closest thing to a princess Remnant has right now."

"That is not funny." Blake growled, only to continue more calmly "I was never the most social of people, or the most assertive. Hanging around so many important persons, making all those decisions... I don't think I'm fit for that."

"And you think I am?" a weak smile traced Adam's face. "Or any of the others is? Look, I made sure there are competent people in charge of Atlas. You were placed there because Salem wanted all the Kingdoms overseen by someone she knows personally. Watts and Hazel both didn't want the job and I really don't want to see Mercury or Emerald on the throne. Just sit there, look pretty and pass some useless verdict every once in a while. If somebody annoys you, tell Banesaw to take care of them. If something bad happens, report to me. Got it?"

Blake nodded, while making a mental note of how she could get rid of particularly annoying humans.

"I didn't ask though," Adam resumed speaking. "how are you doing? As in, personally. Aside from the stress of the job, do you like it in Atlas."

"I suppose so." Blake replied. "There are too many humans here for my liking and nearly everything is painted white, but aside from that, I can't complain. The bed is nice, the hot tub is nice and I never thought there were so many ways to prepare tuna." Blake omitted her appreciation for the beauty products. She still felt somewhat embarrassed about that. "I'm not exactly lonely either. There are some of my friends from the unit here, not to mention a horde of people trying to suck up to me."

"Glad to hear it." Adam replied, and then added: "Well, maybe not the last part. These kind of people can be annoying."

"You have no idea." Blake groaned. "At least you can scare most folks away with your reputation. I can't get people to be afraid of me without openly threatening them with death."

Adam's smile grew, though it also took an... ominous edge. "By the way, have you received the gift I ordered prepared for you?"

That confused Blake. "No, I don't think so. I got a bunch of gifts delivered to me, but no one told me you prepared something in particular."

"Well, there might have been some trouble preparing it. Still, I think you will find it interesting once it's delivered."

"I'll look forward to it." Blake replied honestly. She was curious, popular saying be damned, what Adam had in mind. Partially because sending gifts like that was hardly in his style, but also because she had legitimately no idea what could constitute as 'interesting' now that she had, well, just about everything she could think of within a hand's reach. Well, almost everything.

"Your stay in Menagerie… how long it will last?" she asked his partner, who frowned in turn.

"I'm honestly not sure. I have to stay here for a while to assess the situation personally and such, but I'm not sure how long will that take." he replied, and then added "I'm sorry. I really wish we could talk face to face."

 _But not if that meant taking off your mask._ The thought formed in Blake's head seemingly out of nowhere. Not wanting to voice it out loud, she settled for a cliché reply. "Me too. But more than that, I just hope you're safe there."

"Blake, please. Who could possibly threaten me right now, especially in Menagerie?" Adam attempted to sound light-heartedly, but it came out rather forced, as they both knew that there _was_ a person capable of threatening him in any place and at any time.

"Just… be safe, alright?" another cliché statement, but not a dishonest one. Blake had no idea what she would do if Adam was to die or be seriously hurt, and not just in a 'how to cope with grief' way. Even now when she ruled an entire Kingdom, she was largely dependent on him for guidance.

"Same to you, Blake. I'll better go now, but I'll call you again soon enough. Or you can call me if you need something. Got it?"

Blake simply nodded and watched the hologram dissipate. She then turned the device off and lied down on her bed. It was incredibly soft, unlike the bunks she used to sleep in during the campaigns. One would think that she would find this softness irritating after being used to harsher conditions, but that simply wasn't the case. Blake really enjoyed this sort of accommodations.

And yet, there was something about her current situation that she really disliked apart from dealing with humans and separation from her partner. It was… anxiety.

During the War she was in constant danger of defeat and the ensuing death. It wasn't exciting by any means, but it wasn't too bad either once she got used to it. And what little fear lingered in her could be easily suppressed by focusing on her goals and the prospect of victory. And now that victory was achieved along with all these goals, she was no longer fighting for anything. She was… waiting. Waiting for some change to take place, for a disaster to strike. And with Salem not being satisfied with simply ruling Remnant from shadows, something _was_ bound to change sooner or later. It made Blake quite unnerved.

Her musings were interrupted when somebody knocked on her door. It was rather unusual, as few people dared to bother the queen unless they brought something she requested or had a _really_ good reason to do so. Since Blake hasn't ordered anything in a while, she assumed the latter.

"Come in." she ordered, pushing herself into a sitting position but not bothering to get up from bed.

The door opened as a person passed through it. A young woman wearing a servant uniform, including a metal collar around her neck. Not anyone Blake would recognize, but she paid barely any attention to the slaves in the complex. The girl didn't carry anything with her, which probably meant she was there with a message from somebody.

"What is the matter?" the queen asked bluntly.

"I.. I was asked.. ordered… to come here." the girl answered, annoyingly failing to provide any actual information.

"I figured that much." Blake growled in response. "But for what reason?"

"I am meant to in-inform you that… that…" the servant kept on stuttering, earning an irritated sigh from Blake. Really, who sent that bubbling idiot here? There were many servants in the capitol who _didn't_ act like they were afraid for their lives while delivering a message.

Blake's paranoia started to set in. Somebody posing as a servant or convincing one to attempt an assassination was a possible scenario. The servant's uniform didn't seem to have been worn for long, so she could be an infiltrator… although judging by the way the girl acted, that is with extreme nervousness, implied that she has been disciplined at least once. Probably way more than once, as the half-healed burns Blake just noticed implied. A slave who did something bad enough to deserve torture would likely be just killed off instead, but she might have been tortured for something she's done before getting enslaved. Maybe she was their high-ranking enemy in the War or something, but again, it seemed unlikely that someone so young could have caused the White Fang any trouble, unless…

Oh well. That made sense.

"I am to inform you, that Weiss Schnee is at your service." the girl finally spewed out and then took a quick step back, as if she expected Blake to attack her immediately. And in all fairness, she had a reason to feel that way.

Ilia's killer, directly at Blake's mercy. It was a grim gift, but Adam wasn't exactly wrong.

She _did_ find that interesting.

* * *

 **Those chapters keep varying in length, but I prefer to focus on a specific topic while writing them instead of stopping at a specific word count. The previous one was about how miserable the heroes are, this one is about how set up the villains are.**

 **Gods have mercy upon Remnant. Except they are jerks, so they probably won't.**


	6. The Rebels

**I think that, from now on, /-/ will be my symbol to signalize a short timeskip without a change in perspective. Got it? Then please enjoy reading.**

* * *

Sun was high on the firmament , illuminating Mountain Glenn with its bright light. Somehow, despite the clear sky and the approaching noon, it felt as if there were grey clouds hovering over the ruined city. Or at least if felt this way to Jaune, as he performed his routine walk around the encampment.

It was sort of ironic that a monument to one of Vale's greatest failures and a former base for the White Fang now served as a refuge for the few people willing to fight the despotic organization. It made sense though - the place was so infested with Grimm that carrying out any sort of major offensive was next to impossible. Sure, the Grimm themselves caused some problems, but inside the barricades the rebels enjoyed what could be called relative safety. And Jaune had to make sure that nothing was about to disrupt said safety.

For the most part, the things were normal, or as normal as anything could be in those screwed up times. Some people were training, others were keeping watch over their designated areas and those who were assigned no specific tasks were just trying to kill time, either through playing card games or hunting for creeps in the ruins. Jaune felt tempted to join the latter group, but he knew that he would be unable to relax anyway, with so many people depending on him and with his teammates away on their missions.

And besides, it wasn't like he was doing incredibly strenuous right now. In fact, those 'inspections' were generally his favorite part of the day. They really came down to walking around as his men saluted to him and occasionally asking somebody if everything was in order.

And it usually was. For such a ragtag group of individuals, the Resistance worked relatively well. Quarrels were uncommon, the goals and leadership were well-agreed on and there was a great deal of mutual trust between members of the group. It was a little strange, really. Some would attribute it to Jaune's organizational skills or charisma, but he knew better than that.

Because really, organizational skills? Jaune wasn't able to keep his room tidy when he was a kid and he barely managed to coordinate four-person team back at Beacon. Charisma? Well he has gotten fairly good at pretending he knew what he was doing, so maybe he could be considered charismatic.

But no, the relative success of the Valean Resistance Front, not having been obliterated already that is, could be attributed only to the abilities of its other members. Whether they were former soldiers, huntsmen candidates or just people willing and able to pick up a weapon and fight, the people here were all survivors. They were all capable and dedicated to restoring the world that once was, however impossible it might have seemed.

"Hey, leave me alone!" An angry, high-pitched voice could be heard from behind a nearby building.

Well, it wasn't all perfect. Already knowing what to expect, Jaune headed towards the source of the noise, preparing himself to play the role of a fair disciplinarian.

Sure enough, after making a turn, he was met with the sight of two of his men - well, one man and one woman - at each other's throats. Russel Thrush with his daggers in hands and Velvet Scarlatina with bare fists. Although given the context, it wasn't hard to guess who was the aggressor here. Upon seeing Jaune approach both of them turned their attention towards him and raised one hand each in salute.

"Is there some problem?" Jaune asked, trying to keep the tone of his voice deep and unflinching.

"General." Russel stepped forwards, but not enough to expose his back to Velvet, as if he was afraid she would attack him. "I believe Private Scarlatina is plotting against us. I spotted her taking photos of our enforcements for seemingly no reason."

"What!?" Velvet yelled exasperatedly, but she quickly composed herself. "I have been cataloguing the species of Grimm around the base. It is important for us to know what kinds are we dealing with, so that we can place correct people at correct positions."

"That's a decent excuse, I'll give you that."

"Sergeant Thrush," Jaune hoped that he remembered the rank he gave Russel properly. "I have already heard your opinions regarding Private Scarlatina and while I appreciate your input, I do not share your concerns. She has, repeatedly, proven herself dependent and loyal to our cause."

"But isn't there still a risk?" Russel held his ground "She could be just that good of a spy, or considering betraying us right now..."

"So could anyone, in theory." Jaune retorted "The White Fang, for all their prejudice, takes help from faunus and humans alike. Let's not be worse than them."

"Yes sir." Jaune could tell that Russel definitely wasn't convinced, but apparently he thought it wiser to concede. He put both of his daggers into their sheathes, paying Velvet a quick glance as he did so. Perhaps he really was afraid that she would backstab them for no reason and wasn't just harassing her for the sake of it. It was hard to tell.

"It's good to be on the same page. You are dismissed." Jaune watched Russel salute again and march away towards the central camp. Afterwards, he turned his attention towards the rabbit faunus.

"Are you alright, Velvet?" He asked, not bothering to keep the formalities now that they were alone. Really, all those titles were meaningless. If they represented actual ranks, he would have made Velvet one of his top officers by now instead of keeping her as a 'private' as he did now, as to not upset the likes of Russel. The girl was with them almost since very beginning of the war and has shown nothing but loyalty thus far.

"Worried about me, general?" The faunus replied jokingly, not addressing the actual question. She probably expected Jaune to tell her not to call him by his title, but he remained focused on the topic at hand.

"Not really. I know you could beat this guy up, even without going all out. And with him acting like that, you would have a damn good excuse for doing so."

"It would just convince him that he is right about me being some sort of traitor and it could even convince some of the others. Not really worth it in the end." Jaune had to reluctantly acknowledge the logic behind that. "Besides, I can't really blame him for..."

 _For hating the faunus._ That also, sadly, made a great deal of sense. While Russel had been a racist even before the war and he was more open with his views than most resistance members, he was by no means the only person around who detested the faunus. He wasn't even in the minority. Most of Jaune's men hated the faunus and the general didn't even try to change that trend. Hatred kept many people going and often helped to deal with other, even more destructive emotions, such as grief and despair. It would have been better if they hated the White Fang specifically rather than all the faunus, but the distinction often seemed blurry even to him.

"Still," Jaune spoke after a long moment of silence "If I were you I would get myself some secondary weapon. If not to fight with, then to scare the likes of Russel away. I know you can fight unarmed, but you don't look very scary without a weapon." He allowed himself a small, teasing smile.

"I suppose not." Velvet reciprocated the smile. "And I got myself a backup weapon a while ago, I just didn't think to carry it with me for tasks like that."

"You really should have." Jaune switched his voice back to firm tone. "I know you can handle whatever Grimm come your way, but there really is no way to know when you'll have to fight for real or... use an emergency route."

Velvet winced, but didn't comment on Jaune's advice. "Yes, sir. I will keep that in mind. Is there anything else?"

"No. You are dismissed." General watched the girl salute to him, turn around and go her own way. He mused over how weird it was that he was giving advice to somebody who had way more combat experience than him. Giving orders to Velvet, or Russel, or anyone else for that matter felt weird considering that he was technically one of the least experienced people here.

But then again, it was Jaune, not Velvet, who had to create and analyze strategies. He rarely got to see their effects with his own eyes, but he saw the reports and he often didn't get to see some of his soldiers returning from the mission. Constant stress and guilt made wonders for his tactical abilities, as he had to consider his every decision from every possible point of view. Overlooking a viable strategy or a probable scenario could have tragic consequences.

The whole deal with secondary weapons was a perfect example. For some reason, nearly all huntsmen and huntresses used only one weapon and prided themselves on how it had multiple forms and could be used in different ways. The thing was, having a single mecha-shift weapon was in almost every way worse than having multiple different, simpler ones. If a soldier lost his gun, they usually had a pistol to shoot from or at least a military knife to protect themselves. If a huntsman lost his amazing gun-sword, they were essentially defenseless. Creating a weapon with multiple forms didn't give you much of an advantage... especially if you were a complete idiot and one of those forms was a _freaking handbag_.

No. He shouldn't demean Coco this way, not even in his private thoughts. She killed countless enemies and saved just as many people during the Invasion of Vale alone, but her demise was just so... preventable.

It was a little over half a year into the war and the White Fang was attempting - and not without success - to crush the city of Vale with their sheer numbers. Jaune wasn't anything more than a team leader at that point and his team was simply trying to take down as many White Fang recruits as they could without getting killed themselves, which wasn't easy even with Pyrrha on their side. Coco was doing significantly better, mowing the enemies by dozens with her Gatling Gun... until she ran out of bullets and found herself surrounded, without a working weapon and with the enemy's attention solely on her. She did try to defend herself with her handbag and some kicks, but, surrounded and outnumbered the huntress didn't stand much of a chance.

While back then it seemed like the faunus just killed Coco in the spot, it would later turn out that she actually survived despite her wounds and was imprisoned by the enemy. Her execution took place after the Vale was subjugated and was performed by Miss Neopolitan herself. The huntress was only allowed to die after a gruesome display that lasted several hours straight. An act of vengeance and terror at once.

The purpose of secondary weapons was to prevent situations like that from taking place, partially by giving everyone a chance to keep on fighting after losing their main weapon, but also by providing them with a 'emergency route' once the situation became truly hopeless. A quick death by one's own hands was commonly considered better than torture and execution at the hands of the White Fang. They didn't have any cyanide pills or anything like that - and if they had, Jaune wouldn't allow it because of how catastrophic that would be to morale - but a simple dagger hidden in a sleeve was completely sufficient for that purpose.

Really, Velvet should be aware how important having a backup was better than anyone. Perhaps she just didn't think about it, because of the connotations the topic brought.

Jaune did think about it. Right now he had a double-barrel shotgun at his waist and a knife hidden in his boot. Crocea Mors was still there, obviously, an ancient blade always ready to be drawn.

Luckily, there was no reason to draw it that day. The rest of the encampment really was calm, all the noise coming from guns and Flynt's trumpet notwithstanding. After checking everything twice, Jaune headed towards the infirmary and braced himself for the next part of his daily routine.

 _/-/_

Jaune was exhausted. And not just because he has given away most of his aura, leaving just enough to defend himself just in case. It was mostly a mental exhaustion, a direct result of having to deal with so many wounded people. One would think that being able to help them would bring him some sort of satisfaction, but it didn't. Not when he was to blame for his soldiers getting hurt in the first place.

This time Jaune wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings. He wasn't trying to remember the names of the people he passed and he only gave them a nod or a standard 'at ease' response when they saluted to him. There weren't that many people around him anyway, now that the sun was setting. Around ten minutes after leaving the infirmary he reached his tent and stepped inside.

Really, the word 'tent' didn't really do the place justice. It wasn't an ordinary camping tent, but rather a large structure that could easily house a small family. The interior was separated into two sections, one of which contained a table, a desk and several chairs and the other served as a bedroom, featuring a wardrobe, a small bookshelf and a large bed.

At times, Jaune felt guilty about taking up so much space, but it really was for the best. Not only did he sort of need all of that to do his work correctly, but it also helped maintain an image of him as a legitimate leader, which he hardly was.

Still, he had to try and be the best leader he could, so he trudged over to his desk. There was a tall stack of papers lying on top of it. Most of them were likely reports, either from missions or more mundane tasks, but there would no doubt be petitions and formal complaints as well. He considered hiring some sort of assistant or a secretary to help him with all the paperwork, but it wasn't an idea he would ever implement. Every single report or a request _had_ to be seen by him personally. It was his responsibility, regardless of whether or not he lived up to it.

With an sigh, Jaune sat down and took to reviewing the documents. He wished he could say that the task was monotone and repetitive, but it was hardly the case. Each report was unique, in that each one of them pointed out a different problem, warned against a different threat or reported different person's demise.

With every document, Jaune had to expend some effort and think of what to do. Weigh the potential consequences and costs of every decision and make a choice. It tired him quickly, but by now he has developed enough discipline to carry on.

Two hours later, he was mostly done with paperwork and the few documents that remained seemed to be of lesser importance. Nonetheless, Jaune wouldn't rest until he was finished. As he was reading an account from a venture into the Grimm-infested territory near Vale, he heard somebody enter the tent. Jaune instinctively jumped from his chair and drew Crocea Mors to block an incoming attack, only to drop the guard once he realized who exactly just entered.

"Hi Jaune." Pyrrha flashed a weak smile as she walked inside. She wore a Vale Military combat uniform which was now damaged in several places. She must have lost her helmet along the way and her short, disarrayed red hair was in full display. A grenade belt she took with herself on a mission was now empty, though Miló and Akoúo̱ were luckily still hanging on her back. "Sorry for scaring you like that."

"Are you alright?" Jaune sheathed his sword now that he knew there was no danger. "Do you need any healing?"

"No, I have no major wounds, only..." Pyrrha cut off seeing her partner's stern gaze. She sighed, though without anger or annoyance and trudged towards the bed. Her legs were trembling slightly, hopefully a result of exhaustion rather than any injuries.

Jaune followed. They both sat down on the edge of a bed, though in Pyrrha's case it was more of a case of falling onto the mattress. She unbuttoned her jacket, pulled off her shirt and then threw them both onto the ground, clearly too tired to care about treating clothes with respect. Jaune was relieved to find out that there really were no major wounds on her body, though her back was covered with a long line of dark-red bruises. The likes of which form when a hit is not quite strong enough to penetrate aura, but able to cause some damage in spite of it.

"It looks nasty." Jaune commented. "Some figure?"

'Figure' was a term used to classify combatants with an active aura and proficiency in using it. Huntsmen, some high-ranking officers and people like Torchwick or Neopolitan. If Pyrrha managed to take out one of them, that would mean a particularly successful mission, but the girl shook her head.

"No, just a lot of regular recruits and a HMG. I think they were expecting me, or at least some sort of attack. Still, I managed to win somehow."

Just as always. Pyrrha was easily the strongest member of the Resistance, even though there were several ex-huntsmen in the organization. She was always a league above your average huntress candidate, but two years of constant warfare made her into a killing machine that had few equals across the entire Remnant.

Her title reflected that perfectly. 'Specialist'. A rank that was only used in Atlas Military and was reserved for the most elite soldiers, usually graduates of Atlas Academy. Almost all of them were killed during the war, but the title still aroused fear among the White Fang members and Specialist Nikos fully validated that feeling, having amassed a kill count easily in triple digits. Smaller operations would sometimes end with the enemy surrendering the moment they became aware of her presence.

While it pained Jaune to send Pyrrha out alone on missions like that, it was clearly for the best. There simply weren't many missions during which she would benefit from having backup - they were all either simple enough for the Specialist to handle on her own, or so difficult that regular soldiers or even other aura-users couldn't hang around for long. Now that Pyrrha was back, however, he could at least help her with recovery.

"Stay still." Jaune gave his partner a routine warning, after which he placed his hands upon her back, trying to be delicate as to not press against the bruises. He then 'poured' a bit of his aura onto her, careful not to apply too much of it. While his aura was now mostly regenerated after his tour in the infirmary, going overboard could result in Pyrrha's semblance going out of control.

Not that it was always a bad thing. Jaune recalled the day his semblance was fully unlocked. It was during the so-called Great Retreat, right after Vale fell to the White Fang. His team was sticking with a regiment of Valean Army that sought to leave the coastal area and join up with the other remnants or military deeper into the continent. Unfortunately, the White Fang would not allow that and expended a great deal of effort in hunting them down. At one point, they managed to surround the regiment and with the weapons acquired after taking the capitol over they had every possible advantage on their side. Jaune and his teammates fought as well as they could, but no matter how much they outclassed a single enemy recruit, they could only do so much against hundreds of them attacking from all directions. Pyrrha, grabbing all attention with both her impressive combat feats and this ridiculous 'armor' of hers, has eventually taken enough hits for her aura to break. And then one more, a sniper shot to the chest.

Jaune panicked. Against everything he learned during the war and against reason itself, he stopped fighting and desperately tried to stop the bleeding, even though it wasn't even the biggest problem after the bullet penetrated one of his partner's lungs. And again, against all reason and probability, it worked. The wound healed, not leaving even a faint scar, and Pyrrha got up stronger than at the start of the battle. Everything that had metal in it - weapons, landmines, even _tanks_ \- started to fly around, causing mayhem all throughout the battlefield. It caused almost as many problems to their side as it did to their enemies, but the resulting chaos enabled their retreat from the dangerous area.

Once they reached the relative safety of the Mountain Glenn, team JNPR was unanimously - and not entirely incorrectly - declared the reason for the regiment's survival. Despite Pyrrha being the one who did most of the fighting, people started to look up to Jaune as he was the team's official leader. He managed to convince the soldiers that he was not the person they would like to listen to, but a few weeks later somebody managed to dig out Jaune's Beacon transcripts which painted him as... a bit more competent than he actually was. From then on, there was no escape. His every attempt at explaining the situation properly was read as a sign of redundant humility on his part and soon Jaune Arc was declared the leader of a newly formed Valean Resistance Front. All hail General Vomit Boy.

"I managed to kill most of the guards." Jaune was forced to snap out of his musings as Pyrrha continued talking. "Only a handful got away. I then searched the complex, blew up whatever weapons and dust they had stored and freed all the slaves that were held there."

"It sounds like a successful mission then." Jaune said. A victory such as that was a rarity, even for Specialist Nikos herself.

"I guess, but..." Jaune suppressed a desire to sigh loudly. Pyrrha was never quite satisfied with herself - pretty much a required trait for a career fighter - but now that her fights had extremely high stakes, she would often beat herself up for not being good enough. "It doesn't really do much for us, or for anyone else for that matter. The White Fang will just mine some more dust and make more weapons and the slaves have probably nowhere to go to anyway. Most of them will get captured again of eaten by the Grimm soon enough."

Jaune had to stop the aura transfer, as the bruises were all gone by now. His hands were now touching a perfectly healthy, perfectly smooth skin that emanated with a pleasant warmth...

No. Pyrrha didn't need _that_ kind of comfort right now. Jaune shook the unwanted thoughts away and focused on figuring out what to say to make the warrior feel better. It wasn't very hard, as they have had this conversation many times now and it always went more or less the same.

"Well, I doubt those people would prefer to be worked to death instead." he pointed out. "And the destruction of White Fang's weapons will at least slow them down. Make it harder for them to fight us right now."

"I suppose." Pyrrha conceded. As always.

"And besides, victories like that are good for the morale." Jaune continued. "The enemies you spared and the slaves you freed... they'll spread the news that there is someone out there opposing the White Fang and succeeding. People will know that we are fighting for them. That you are fighting for them."

The girl seemed to relax ever so slightly. Jaune couldn't see her face right now, but he could bet she was flushing in embarrassment. Just like him, Pyrrha was a source of hope for the Resistance and for many people outside of it. Unlike him, she lived up to this reputation. And unlike him, she partially enjoyed it.

One night, not long after the Breach, Pyrrha confessed to him that she always believed herself destined to protect the world. _Victor of the People._ She thought she could fulfill that destiny by becoming a huntress and, in a way, she succeeded. She surely didn't like the specifics of that success, the amount of bloodshed and suffering happening right now horrified her no less than it did Jaune, but she likely felt grateful for the role she has come to play in all of this.

Jaune wasn't. He wanted to become a huntsmen as well, but that's because he failed to realize what that truly meant. He had been blind to the darker aspects of that path, to the weight of responsibility and the ever-hurting conscience, even though his own father warned him of things such as that.

Now, Jaune Arc was a hero. A hero fighting an impossible war, constantly fearing for his friends' safety, haunted by his past failures. There was no enjoyment to this, no satisfaction or an emotional reward. Just pain, stress and sorrow. He only kept fighting because ceasing to do so would mean more deaths to be responsible for. He wasn't sure if that attitude made him a better person than Pyrrha in that regard, or the exact opposite.

He knew one thing for sure - him having such thoughts meant that he could probably use some sleep. Leaving a couple of reports for tomorrow was a little irresponsible of him, but he just knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on them right now.

"I'm going to sleep. You better do the same with how tired you look." Jaune announced and took Pyrrha's lack of response as a sign of agreement from her. He got up, took off his armor, a thin coat underneath it and then a shirt, leaving himself exposed to the cool air. He could see that Pyrrha took off the remains of her uniform as well and fully lied down on the bed. Jaune took off his shoes and followed suit, jumping underneath the quilt.

"Goodnight." Pyrrha whispered, the tiredness already overtaking her. She moved closet to Jaune and gave him a quick, chaste kiss. Right now, neither of them had the energy for anything more than that, and they both knew it.

"Goodnight." Jaune responded and waited for sleep to come.

/-/

When Jaune woke up it was half past five, or at least that's what the alarm clock placed on the shelf was showing. It has proven to be an optimal hour for Jaune to wake up, giving him just enough sleep to operate normally throughout the day. Pyrrha was still asleep, but that was normal due to how different her job was compared to his. Jaune slept from one designated hour to another, Pyrrha slept whenever she could afford to.

General got up, stretched his muscles and put on his clothes. He didn't bother to do any of that quietly - Pyrrha was a heavy sleeper, especially after staying awake for prolonged periods time like that. And besides, he wouldn't be putting his plate armor on just yet.

Jaune came out of the tent to see the sun creeping out from behind the horizon, illuminating Mountain Glenn in all its grim glory. The sight was strangely beautiful and the silhouettes of Grimm in the distance only added to its charm. The was once a time in which those creatures scared Jaune immeasurably, but now the fear of Grimm faded almost entirely, replaced by the fear of far worse monsters.

Jaune lied on the ground and began doing pushups. General or not, he was still a combatant and had to remain in shape in case he was needed in a fight again.

After completing several series of those, Jaune rested for a minute and stood up. He would have proceeded to the next part of his private fitness regime, if not for seeing several people walking the street in the distance, clearly in his direction. I wasn't weird by itself, there were some people who got up as early as him, but they either trudged individually or marched in rows. This little group consisted of three people, two of whom walked at a normal pace and the third one was jumping around as if they were afraid of stepping on a landmine. This had an obvious connotation with one of Jaune's closest friends, but why three people exactly...

After taking a moment to consider his options, Jaune decided to wait and see what would happen. He had his trusted sword and almost equally trusted shotgun at his side, so he felt pretty safe, even disregarding the fact that nobody unauthorized would be able to get so far into the encampment with the security measures they've implemented.

A few minutes later his predictions came true upon seeing Nora run up to him. She looked alright, as in none of the stains on her uniform was the color of blood and she had both Magnhild and her shotgun on her. It looked as though she left the other two far in the back, which wasn't unlike her. After she spotted Jaune she quickly ran up to him and trapped him in a hug, which also wasn't unlike her.

"Jaune! I really missed you out there!" Nora stated, somewhat redundantly.

"It's good to see you too, Nora." Jaune said, not without effort, as his teammate made it a little hard for him to breathe. Luckily, she loosened her grip a moment later.

"Ren missed you as well." the girl continued. "He is right behind me by the way, with... oh, here they are!"

Two men walked from behind a corner. One of them Jaune could recognize as Lie Ren, his trusted friend and effectively second-in-command of the entire Resistance. He wore his usual uniform, which was amazingly clean even now, as its owner returned from a several day long mission. His only visible weapon was a revolver at his waist, but he probably still had StormFlower hid in his sleeves.

The other one definitely wasn't part of the Resistance. His clothing wasn't even remotely military-like, instead resembling something a homeless person would wear. He was even more dirty that Nora right now and lacked a shirt to cover his admittedly impressive chest. Another thing that excluded the possibility of him being a soldier was his tail - fairly long and covered in blond fur, the exact same shade as his actual hair, lying in disarray at the top of his head. One of his yeas was blackened, which suggested he might be a prisoner, but he didn't appear restrained in any way. He walked freely in fact, curiously looking around.

Jaune assumed the guy didn't pose any threat and decided to ignore him for the time being, walking over to Ren instead.

"It is good to see you again, Jaune." Unlike his partner, Ren didn't try to hug Jaune, shaking his hand instead. It wasn't the warmest greeting ever, but it was just how Ren tended to act.

"Likewise, Ren." Jaune responded, also without any great show of emotions. "How did it go?"

"The mission? Everything went according to the plan." There was a tinge of pride in Ren's voice. "The village is still capable and willing to supply us, even more so now that Nora killed most of the Grimm in their area. I will write a report with the details later, but now there is someone you should meet." Ren then gestured towards the other man, who stepped forward and also outstretched a hand.

"Heya Jaune." This greeting took Jaune off guard because of how casual it was, especially since he didn't remember ever meeting that guy before.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" The General voiced his doubt.

"Well, yeah." the faunus seemed somewhat surprised, maybe even offended. "Sun. Sun Wukong. Don't you remember me? I came to Beacon for the tournament two years back?"

Now that the guy mentioned it, Jaune did remember someone like him being at Beacon. It's just that those times seemed so distant to him now that they felt like another life. He certainly wouldn't have been able to remember this guy's name on his own, no matter how much he tried.

"Oh, right. Sun. Sorry, you just changed a lot since then." Jaune lied. "Mind if I asked, what happened to your eye?"

"Well..." Sun seemed reluctant to answer. "As I marched towards this camp of yours, I accidentally set off one of the defense systems you guys set up..."

"He has fallen into one of Yatsuhashi 's traps." Ren explained. "We found him on our way back, immobilized and still somewhat dazed."

"Really, I thought that one was too silly to work." Nora joined in. "And I'm, like, me."

"Hey, I was hungry!" None of the three humans managed to suppress an amused smile, which seemed to annoy Sun even further. "Besides, it's sort of irresponsible of you to leave traps like that for anyone to walk into!"

"I'm sorry." Jaune said, after which he tried to steer the conversation back onto relevant topics. "So, what are your reasons for coming here? Do you want to join us?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Sun replied nonchalantly. "I've got a pretty good job going on. I'm a messenger."

It made sense. Now that the CCT system was long destroyed and the only cross-continental channels were reserved for the high-ranking regime officials, communicating over long distances was quite a challenge. Such profession was a reasonable choice for a former student of a huntsmen academy, as people strong enough to handle an occasional encounter with the Grimm were valued.

"So, do you have a message for us?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, I do." Sun's face took a more serious tone. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to recall exactly what he wished to say, before opening his mouth again.

"Ghira Belladonna, the rightful chieftain of Menagerie, supports Valean Resistance Front in their battle against the White Fang. He would like to speak with the General personally."

* * *

 **So that's the new chapter. This time there is only one perspective, though it is a one that allows me to present the situation adequately. Hope it works.**

 **And if you are confused as to how communication works in this continuity, then don't worry, so am I. Canon seems to be pretty inconsistent as to what the CCT towers actually do, as Adam is seemingly capable to call the Albains from across the ocean with no communication lag. I just assumed that the White Fang stole some cool holographic phones that work without the help of the towers. Bottom of the line is: Villains can phone each other, the heroes can't. Life's not fair.**

 **Really not fair. Seriously Adam, did you have to go down like that? At least now I have an additional motivation to write this fic, as to give the alternate version of Adam an opportunity to revel in his victory. If only temporarily.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed.**


	7. The Captives

Weiss woke up.

Not to anything in particular. Nobody bothered to wake her up - if she overslept, it made for a good excuse to punish her. She didn't have any nightmares to wake her either, which was sort of weird. She looked sort of like a prime candidate for having bad dreams, but she hadn't dreamed for a long time. Maybe electric shocks messed up her brain so badly that it was now incapable of forming dreams. Or maybe she has been through so much, that her mind couldn't figure out how to scare her. Probably something like that.

That was not to say she slept calmly. She would wake up in irregular intervals, checking whether it was still night and whether she was still relatively safe. Right now it paid off - according to the nearby clock it was ten minutes to six and Weiss would be breaking the rules if she were to get up just a few minutes later.

And she would report it. There wasn't anyone watching over her, so she could probably get away with sleeping longer than she was allowed to, but she didn't think that worth the risk. Coming clean ensured she got beaten, but it also proved that she was compliant. It made it less likely for them to execute her, or worse still, throw her back into a cell.

Weiss stood up, smoothed out her uniform and headed towards the closet where the cleaning supplies were being kept. She knew the corridors of the 'palace' fairly well by now and navigated them without much conscious thought.

Even though it was early in the morning, quite a few people were up and running as well, mostly guards and other slaves. The former gave Weiss cautious looks and occasionally trudged her as they passed by, the latter made sure not to interact with her in any way, as if looking at the Schnee was dangerous in itself. By now, she was used to this kind of treatment and wasn't particularly bothered by it.

Eventually, Weiss reached her destination. Inside the small room was a lot of cleaning materials, but she only took a sponge, a bottle of furniture polish and a bucket which she filled with water from the sink. She would probably be more efficient at cleaning if she used all the available supplies, but it didn't really matter how efficiently she worked, only that she did. It was merely a method of humiliation, one of many that the faunus applied to her.

Without any unnecessary delay, Weiss started cleaning the floor. She would be doing that all the way until dusk, though if things proceeded as usual, she would be allowed a break and a meal around noon. She was forced to eat from a bowl and given mostly leftovers, but was never denied food - partially because her masters found feeding her in that manner amusing, but also because she simply needed to be fed well if she were to work for so long. Then, after several more hours of work, she would be allowed to wash herself and go to sleep, so that she could catch some rest before another day of labor.

And that was just about everything about her life these days. Working all day long, eating scraps from the table, following commands and taking a beating each time she did something wrong.

Overall, Weiss felt fairly content with her situation.

It was messed up. She knew exactly how messed up that outlook was. She should have been looking for a way to rebel, to escape, or at least to make her situation a bit less horrible. She certainly shouldn't be feeling _content_ living like that. And yet, she sort of did. After spending an entire year in a small cell, only being dragged out for an occasional torture session, even those conditions seemed pretty amazing. Eating leftovers was better than starving. Working was better than sitting in a cell. Being ordered around was better than total isolation. Beatings were better than electrocution.

This attitude baffled her captors, even though they were the ones responsible for it. They seemed to be expecting some resistance from her, or at the very least some reluctance to follow their orders. She showed neither. Ever since she was dragged out from her cell a few weeks ago, Weiss has been perfectly obedient and didn't so much as think about rebelling. The torture she has been through successfully broke her, even if it wasn't its intended purpose. The faunus tried to test her obedience by giving her all manners of pointless and humiliating orders and she carried every single one of them without any sort hesitation. She did things that she would have found unthinkable back when she was an heiress and barely registered, let alone cared about the humiliation. Later, when someone told her to work and didn't tell when to stop, Weiss simply labored until she collapsed from exhaustion. Not that it took very long - her body was severely weakened after months of imprisonment and she just recently got strong enough to work on a par with other slaves.

There was one exception to this rule. When the faunus made sure that she both couldn't and wasn't trying to run away, they sent her to inform Queen of Atlas that Weiss Schnee was at her service. Having already heard a few things about Blake Belladonna, Weiss panicked. She was sure that the Queen was going to either personally kill her, or permanently lock her back in the dungeons. Maybe even something worse, if that was somehow possible. Aside from hating the humans like most of the White Fang members, Belladonna was apparently friends with the assassin Weiss has killed and was nearly killed by Winter Schnee during the Siege of Atlas. She had several additional reasons to hate the Schnee family and Weiss in particular. The former huntress needed to be threatened several times before she obeyed the order and reported to the Queen, expecting the absolute worst from her.

And yet, the monarch didn't do anything to Weiss. She didn't even take an opportunity to spit her former enemy in the face or anything like that. She just stood there for a while and then told Weiss to do go and do something useful, to which the slave happily obliged. Weiss struggled to find an explanation for such a behavior, as it really seemed weird for a person as evil as Belladonna to show any kind of mercy or restraint.

She shook these thoughts away and scrubbed harder at the floor. It was another strange thing about her mental state - hard labor was actually preferable to sitting idly or even doing something less strenuous. All the work distracted her from the constant fear and, more importantly, kept her from remembering the past. Aching muscles were nothing compared to the memories of her old life and the family now gone. And those were nothing still compared to the memories of all the torture, the knives, hot iron, pain and shame...

Weiss pressed the sponge down until her fingers cracked.

The mild pain did an excellent job at distracting her from the grim thoughts, or any thoughts for that matter. It made the next few hours of work almost relaxing in this strange, messed up way.

/-/

Noon has come and light was now flooding the corridors of the palace through its many windows. Weiss, exhausted after over six hours of labor, trudged along a learned path towards her designated corner where she was supposed to eat. After consuming a meal, she would need to rest for at least half an hour before she could get back to work. It didn't have anything to do with her wanting to rest - she just knew the limits of her body and didn't want to overstep them from fear of collapsing before the sunset.

She passed many people along the way, humans and faunus alike, some of whom she recognized by now. Well, their faces anyway. Few people bothered to introduce themselves to her, as they were afraid to associate with her. Weiss couldn't really blame those people for staying away from her. Even so much as talking to a Schnee could make somebody into a target and she didn't want anyone suffering for such a reason.

And then there were those who outright hated Weiss. As a Schnee, she was a perfect scapegoat for the entire war, meaning that even people who had little sympathy for the White Fang would be often hostile toward the former heiress as well. And _then_ there were the actual White Fang members, who would almost always take an opportunity to slap her around.

"Cease." Weiss heard a voice coming from behind her. She could recognize it and she knew its owner quite well.

It appeared as though luck was not on her side that day.

The girl stopped in her tracks and remained motionless as the faunus came up to stand before her She remembered his name - Yuma. A tall, unshaven man with two large, leathery wings as his faunus trait. He was a White Fang assassin who could brag about having killed multiple atlesian officers during the war and was granted a cozy spot in the royal court because of that.

Yuma was one of those faunus who took visible pleasure from abusing Weiss in various ways. She wasn't exactly sure why that was the case. Perhaps he had some grudge with the Schnee Dust Company before the war or perhaps he knew that 'Ilia' girl personally and wanted to punish her killer, but it was also highly probable that he simply enjoyed causing pain, regardless of who was the victim. It wasn't like his reasons truly mattered from Weiss' perspective.

"Shouldn't you be, I don't know, working right now?"

Weiss didn't respond. There was no point trying to explain herself, as Yuma probably wanted nothing but an excuse to punish her. She instead looked down on the ground, just in case she could score some pity with the bat faunus.

She couldn't.

The first punch came in fast. Though Weiss expected something like that, she didn't have enough time to prepare for the impact. It managed to drive the air out of her lungs and topple her onto the floor.

If Weiss still had her aura, she would have been able to tank that hit and give a solid one back. But the collar around her neck prevented her from using her aura or semblance under the pain of electric shock. And compared to that kind of pain, punches didn't really hurt that badly.

"You really are pathetic, aren't you?" Yuma said, shaking his head. "Get up."

Weiss obeyed immediately, managing to stand back up again on shaky legs. She expected to receive another punch immediately, so she found herself surprised when the faunus grabbed her by the throat instead and slammed her into a nearby wall.

Weiss wasn't a stranger to that treatment either. Her torturers didn't fancy things like strangling or drowning - it gave her a moment of relief each time she passed out - but she had been through that a couple times. None of them were exactly fun. There was just no getting used to this horrible sensation of your body being deprived of air.

Which was exactly what Weiss was feeling at that moment, as Yuma's fingers tightened around her throat. Her lungs were burning and her head felt like it was going to explode at any moment. Even though she knew her attacker wouldn't kill her and that death was far from the worst fate that could await her, Weiss still found herself overwhelmed by panic as her vision began to fade...

"Yuma, what are you doing?"

Weiss was dropped on the floor and landed on her knees. She was able to breathe again, but while the panic subsided, fear did not. In fact, she now had even better reasons to be scared.

Blake Belladonna was now standing in the middle of the corridor, in one of those ridiculously expensive dresses of hers. She stared at Yuma disapprovingly, perhaps even angrily. While Weiss was definitely grateful that said disapproval wasn't aimed at her, the Queen being angry still wasn't a good thing, even if it saved her some pain.

Yuma could beat her up, maybe even leave some lasting scars. But Belladonna could _hurt_ her. Have her killed or worse. She was the real threat here and Weiss would gladly allow herself to be strangled for a few more minutes if that meant leaving her Queen's attention.

"I caught her off work. She either doesn't understand what her orders are, or doesn't care." The bat faunus replied. "I figured I'll give her a reminder either way."

"Yuma, it's Weiss we are talking about." The Queen sighed. "On her first day she literally worked until she collapsed. I really doubt laziness is her biggest problem."

"I will trust your judgment then, my Queen." Yuma bowed as he said that. though he was undoubtedly irritated, he hid that fairly well. "Aside from that matter, is there anything you wanted from me?"

"Not really... but if you meet anyone looking for me, tell them that they'll have to wait for at least half an hour before I'm free. I have an important talk incoming."

"I shall." Yuma replied briefly and, after yet another bow, turned around and went his own way.

That left Weiss alone with the Queen - a situation she really didn't feel comfortable in. She kept her eyes on the floor, as to not accidentally offend the cat faunus.

"Now, I expect an honest answer. Should you be working right now?" Belladonna asked.

"Not according to my orders." Weiss answered, choosing words carefully. "I am supposed to eat something now and rest until I am capable of working for the rest of the day."

"Then do that. If you are actually caught slacking off during your working hours, you will regret that." The faunus stood there for a moment - presumably to let the threat sink in - turned around and walked away, leaving the servant alone, still kneeling on the floor.

Weiss watched the cat faunus walk off into another corridor. Once again, she wondered why the Queen showed her any kind of pity. A person as evil as her shouldn't feel any remorse or sympathy towards her enemy.

But that didn't really matter. Not in the slightest. The times when Weiss could gain something by analyzing and manipulating people were long gone. Now, she was just following orders and hoping for the best. There wasn't anything else to do.

Weiss stood up from the floor and resumed walking towards her corner. Apparently, the universe decided she had enough bad luck for one day, as she wasn't harassed on her way there and found a bowl full of food waiting for her.

After Weiss filled her stomach and regained some of her strength, she spent it over several more hours of labor. She managed to clean up multiple hallways before the night came and the former heiress once again fell into her dreamless slumber.

Not a bad day overall.

* * *

 _Yang was exhausted. She had been dragging a wagon with Ruby lying on top of it for several hours now, through the fields and then the forests of Patch. Her clothing was dirty and her body bruised from her journey, but at least she has reached her destination. An old hut in the middle of the woods. Situated on a small hill, with trees covering it from all sides, making it really difficult to spot from a distance._

 _A perfect hideout for a huntsmen team._

 _Yang really hoped it was the place she heard about. The former base for team STRQ, before two of its members have gone missing. Raven Branwen and Summer Rose. Yang's mother and the person she thought of as her mother for the longest time. All of this... was confusing. Very strange and complicated, and her father wouldn't bother to explain any of that. That's why Yang searched for answers here._

 _She considered waking Ruby up, but decided against it. She could do that later, once Yang looked around the place on her own and her sister was well-rested._

 _Yang Xiao-Long took a deep breath and approached a door to the cottage. It was in just as bad a state and the rest of the building, hinges barely keeping it attached. The girl felt an urge to knock on the door as she was taught to always do, but she was fairly sure there was nobody inside, so she just pushed it open instead._

 _The interior of the hut was dark. Very dark. Yang wasn't one to be afraid of the dark, but seeing the inside of a long abandoned building engulfed in darkness like that did cause her to shiver slightly. She wished she had brought a torch with her or something like that. She could hardly search the place thoroughly without seeing anything. Maybe she could rip out the planks from the windows as to let some light into the interior._

 _But no... there was some light. A pair of red spots shining faintly in the darkness. Yang took a step back, for she knew what that meant, what those light were. They were the eyes of a Grimm._

 _No, not a singular Grimm. There were three of them, large beasts covered in black fur, emerging slowly from the darkness. Beowolves. Her father told her they were one of the weakest Grimm out there, presenting little challenge to anyone trained in combat._

 _But Yang wasn't trained. She had her aura and she knew how to throw a punch, but she never actually fought any Grimm. And now that she was exhausted and bruised... she didn't stand any chance._

 _Fear cause her to freeze. Even if she knew what to do, how to save Ruby and herself, she would not be able to do that. She could do nothing but stand and watch as the Grimm closed in. The one at the center suddenly lunged forwards, unsheathing its claws to rip Yang apart..._

And darkness covered everything.

Yang blinked a couple of times. It appeared as though she just woke up from a nightmare. It was really funny how that worked now - her dreams were the only times when she could see any images, so she could usually tell whether she was dreaming or not on that basis alone. Of course, that didn't work so well with nightmares. The fact that you couldn't tell whether or not you were asleep was what made them scary.

Although that one wasn't really that bad. What was once her worst memory has been long replaced by other, far worse ones. Right now, the prospect of being eaten by the Grimm didn't seem all that scary. It actually seemed somewhat better than rotting in that cell for the rest of her days. A nightmare better than reality. Wasn't that hilarious.

Of course, the prospect of _Ruby_ getting killed like that was much harder to contemplate. Yang really hoped that her sister was alright, as much as anyone could be in this new world.

She felt more or less the same way about uncle Qrow, though it was a little harder to worry about him. He would do just fine, just as always. He was extremely strong and capable, not to mention didn't have any family for the White Fang to use as hostages against him. Though if they were to search through the documents and somehow find out how close he was with Ruby...

Damn it, she really needed to start her exercising to keep thoughts like that at bay. She was just about to stand up from her bed when she heard someone enter the room. The part of it that was separated from an actual cell by iron bars, that is.

"I see you're awake, human." Yang could recognize the voice as belonging to one of the guards from the 'Human' category. She never asked any of them for their names, instead sorting them into brackets based on how they referred to her. 'Human' was something of a middle category in terms of politeness, below 'Xiao-Long' and 'Prisoner', but above 'You' and various slurs.

"What makes you think so?" Yang responded. She would often bait or insult the guards in hopes of annoying them. It brought her a small satisfaction each time it had an effect and carried little risk, as the guards were under strict orders not to hurt her. Well, there was this one time when the faunus guarding her entered the cell and beat her up, but he either failed or deliberately tried not to cause any injuries. Heck, it was almost a welcome distraction from all the grim musings.

"I am to inform you" The guard sadly didn't rise to the bait. "that you are about to have a guest here. Try not to be your usual self, or you will regret that dearly."

And with that, he departed. His parting words baffled Yang, as she had no idea what kind of 'guest' should she expect. The only people who came to see her, save for the guards, were doctors tasked with making sure she was in decent health. They all agreed that their patient was psychically healthy aside from her lack of eyesight, but she likely suffered from a number of mental disorders. Yang considered herself perfectly sane. It wasn't her fault that the world had gone crazy around her.

After few minutes of waiting, a sound of footsteps resounded again, though this time undoubtedly belonging to a different person. Said person entered the room and stopped for several seconds, presumably eying the prisoner up. Yang hated when someone did that - she felt like an animal in some damn zoo. Although, for all intents and purposes, she really was just that. 'A Valean Huntress, adult specimen. Highly aggressive, might bite. Please do not feed.'

Yang tried not to show any of her annoyance or any emotion at all for that matter. Whoever her 'guest' was, she would not give them any measure of attention, any reaction...

"You really do look miserable."

Yang failed. Her breathing came to a halt and her fists clenched. She immediately recognized that voice, deep and cold, for even though she only heard it once in real life, she got to hear it regularly in her nightmares.

"Do not worry, huntress." Adam Taurus said "I have no ill intentions towards you. Quite the opposite, in fact."

So, he probably wasn't going to kill or torture her. What then? Make her an offer to join his forces? No, something like that would have no chance of working and he knew it. He probably just came there to gloat, to rub his victory in her face... though it was weird for him to have waited an entire year before doing so.

"My personnel described you as uncooperative." Taurus resumed speaking. "It is good that you are resolved to exercise, but your refusal to work with the doctors is troubling to say the least. Even if you haven't developed any disorders during the war or its aftermath, the isolation you've been subjecting yourself to for the past year cannot be good for your mental state."

"Why do you care?" Yang growled angrily. It was one thing for this murderer to come and gloat, but pretending to be concerned about her health was really insulting.

Initially, her question was met with nothing but silence. Then, a brief sound could be heard. Porcelain hitting the concrete, if Yang's sharpened sense of hearing didn't deceive her.

"Several reasons." Taurus finally said. "For one, I can respect strength, and you have a lot of it. During the war you were easily the most dangerous of huntsmen initiates, save for Nikos of course. You and your team put some adult huntsmen to shame with your kill count."

That was true. Team CYAN had been a deadly force on the battlefield, especially during the War in Atlas, as by then they were one of the few complete teams on their side of the conflict. Yang wasn't sure if she should feel proud of that, as all that killing would eventually prove itself meaningless. So what if there were a few less White Fang recruits dancing on the ruins of Atlas? It didn't change anything.

"And it's not just about effectiveness either. You were one of the only people who tried to kill me that day. Kill. Everyone else was merely hoping to slow me down, they didn't really believe in victory. I could see it in their eyes. Speaking of which..."

"Shut up." Yang said angrily, clenching her fists.

"Now, you are justified in feeling mad. I put you through a lot of pain, though in my defense, I've been through something similar."

"Oh, the great High Leader was hurt? How sad." Yang thought that she probably was less afraid of the man than she should, as there was no doubt that he could kill her at any moment. Maybe she really didn't fear death. Or maybe her anger simply eclipsed the fear.

It appeared the jab has been successful, as Taurus stayed silent for a while. When he spoke again, his voice was even colder than originally.

"When the hot metal touches the skin, it hurts. It hurts horribly, and the smell of burned meat only makes it worse. But it's nothing compared to the eye itself. It doesn't really hurt as much, but it's just so... disturbing. The vision goes away almost immediately in the flash of red and you can feel the water boiling inside... Or at least that's what I felt."

Yang couldn't help but wince. The description Taurus gave matched her own experience pretty well. Did that mean he was...

"Now, in all fairness, I haven't lost my eyesight completely." His voice was back to moderately cold. "It would be stupid for the Schnees to disable their slaves in that manner, though in retrospect, they probably should have either blinded or killed me the moment I showed signs of rebellion. But, unfortunately for them, I managed to escape, train myself and eventually pay them back tenfold. Quite literally in the case of the Schnee heiress. I ordered to burn several marks on that perfect skin of hers." He chuckled quietly at that point.

Yang kept a straight face and remained quiet. If she didn't give the man any response, maybe he would leave her alone.

"Even still, the scars are there. You cannot see that right now, but I assure you, my face looks no better than yours."

That comment hurt Yang unexpectedly. It was silly of her to care about appearance, now that she wasn't trying to impress anyone with her looks and couldn't even see herself in the mirror, but part of her was apparently still concerned about stuff like that. Female vanity in its finest, she supposed.

She wondered how exactly she looked right now. Judging from how it hurt long after the battle, there was definitely a large scar covering a part of her face. Her eyes were likely little more than bloodied orbs now, maybe even worse somehow. Her body was probably still in decent shape, as she was fed fairly well and 'exercised' frequently, though it bore some scars from her fighting days as well. Her hair was a mess and she could feel it - she didn't give it nearly as much care as it required and only ever washed it in order to get rid of lice.

How did Taurus look right now? He said he had one destroyed eye and some scars, so probably not a pretty face. When Yang saw him in Atlas we was tall and lean, though was no telling whether or not following months have changed him. Maybe he became less fit now that the war was over and he could let himself loose. He probably hasn't had much time to gain weight or anything like that, but it was likely he changed his attire to something less dark.

Yang mentally smacked herself. She was doing exactly what Taurus wanted her to do. Thinking about him as a person, instead of a monster he was.

"My point is, life doesn't end upon getting scarred." The monster continued. "Wearing a mask in an obvious way to hide a nasty scar and eyesight isn't all that necessary for somebody with sufficient aura control. Moreover, there are ways to regain it. Technologies for artificial sight have existed for a while now, even if they are still imperfect. I actually have a friend who could make you see better than originally, although the process isn't exactly pleasant..."

At that point, Yang lost it.

"You think you are fooling me with all that bullcrap? Well maybe you should try it on someone else, because I'm not buying it! Why would I think you give a crap about my well-being after you killed my friends and destroyed my world? Left me scarred at thrown me into a cage? Or is that your idea of kindness?"

"Such hostility." Yang suspected Taurus was shaking his head in disapproval. "I suppose that is to be expected. Nonetheless, let me clarify something. We don't spare our enemies often, especially not those who didn't surrender first. Certainly not those who caused us as much trouble as you did. Trust me, the name Xiao-Long doesn't ring well with most of my people. Some of them suggested throwing you to the Grimm after you got captured. When I refused, they proposed to put you on open display somewhere, preferably after cutting some things off, like a limb or a tongue. Then there were those willing to look past your scars and considered you attractive enough for them."

Despite everything she's been through, that thought caused Yang to shiver slightly.

"I rejected all of these requests, and there were quite a few of them, instead placing you in a warm cell with a bed, a shower and clean clothing. I forbade anyone from harming you and punished everyone who tried. I made sure you were given proper medical attention when I could had just as easily left you among those ruins to die."

Yang kept her expression angry, so that it was clear she was _not_ considering that bastard's words.

"Contrary to what you may think, I am not your enemy. Not anymore. Right now, I am probably the only person here with any kind of sympathy towards you."

Yang didn't honor that with a response. She resolved not to talk to that piece of scum anymore, no matter what he would say.

"Nothing? Well, that was to be expected." Taurus seemingly sensed that further conversation was pointless, as he could be heard walking back towards the door. "I will give you time to think about all of this and come back tomorrow. You may want to suffer in silence, but I believe you could use some interaction, even if it will be just me talking without any response. Hopefully it won't."

And with that, Adam Taurus exited through the door.

Afterwards, Yang sat motionless for a while. She then got up and immediately started her routine walk around the cell.

She tried particularly hard not to think about anything that day.

* * *

 **You know, even though this is my least popular story in terms of favorites-per-chapter ratio, it is probably my favorite one to write. I'm not sure why. Could it be that I'm a sadist who enjoys tormenting the characters in various ways? Nah, that can't be the case.**

 **Anyways, I think I will focus on writing something else now, so there might not be an update for a while. Sucks for, like, two people in the world who actually enjoy this story.**


	8. Call to Battle

**That chapter ended up being shorted than I expected it to be, given the multitude of perspectives shown. Then again, it's not necessarily a bad thing as it allowed me to upload the chapter within a reasonable time I think. So enjoy.**

 **Also, this is the first time I updated two stories in two subsequent days. It feels weird. Am being... productive with my writing?**

* * *

Blake was confused.

She had no idea why she felt a need to defend a Schnee like that. The girl was an enemy of the faunus and not just by association with the damned Schnee Dust Company, but by the virtue of killing one of White Fang's strongest champions. Ilia Amitola, Blake's friend and comrade in arms, dead by the hands of this white-haired devil. That killer deserved to pay.

…except she had sort of paid already. Weiss had been kept imprisoned for months and tortured on regular basis, as evidenced by a multitude of scars on her body. Her mind wasn't in a good state either – Blake had interacted with many human slaves, but she had probably never seen anyone quite as subservient as the former Schnee heiress. If you told some random servant that you wanted to beat them, they would beg you to reconsider or maybe even try to run away. If you told that to Weiss, she would just nod and take the abuse, whether from the fear of even worse punishment or because she didn't care that much about this relatively low level of pain.

Maybe some kindness was in order then? It did prove the faunus superiority in a way – one of the most zealous White Fang members showing mercy to one of its greatest enemies. It sounded pretty good when put like that.

Besides, Blake had more important things to think about than that.

Cinder Fall, the Queen of Vale, has requested a talk with her via the long-distance holographic device and didn't specify the reason. Blake had no idea why would Cinder want to talk with her. They both had a Kingdom to look after and precisely zero reasons to be concerned about the other one's business. And it wasn't like Cinder just wanted to have a friendly chat, as the two of them weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms.

Blake had hated Cinder since the very beginning. Sure, it was not always for the same reasons as now. Originally she had problems mostly with the maiden's willingness to engage in criminal acts and kill a lot of people during them, but now she could see why those concerns had been foolish. There would always be some loses on the way to victory and laws made by humans were never worth following anyway.

But there were other problems. For one, Cinder wanted power. Obsessively. That wasn't exactly a rare trait, since power is always something desirable, but this woman took it to an extreme. She was willing to do pretty much anything to gain some additional influence and would do literally anything for a chance at getting another maiden power. And, unlike Adam for example, she didn't seek power for any benevolent reason, but rather for the sole purpose of being powerful. That desire alone made her terrifying, and combined with a complete lack of ethics it made her extremely dangerous. Even though Blake would only be speaking to her hologram, she was still on her guard, as though Cinder's words alone could somehow harm her.

Eventually, Blake reached her living quarters. Everything, including the communication device was on its place and it didn't appear anyone had visited the room recently to plant a bomb or anything like that. Blake approached the transmitter, picked the right contact and made a call.

Cinder answered soon enough, her hologram appearing before Blake. Right now, the Queen of Vale was wearing one of her many flame-colored dresses and looked, admittedly, pretty stunning. Her face bore a neutral expression, as if she didn't find her interlocutor very interesting . Blake was certainly annoyed by that, but she was sort of grateful that Cinder didn't insult her by pretending to be a friend.

"Ah, Queen Belladonna. It is a pleasure to see you."

"Cut it, Cinder." Blake replied, her face stern and unflinching. "I'm not in the mood. Tell me why did you want to speak with me?"

"That is quite rude of you. I really would expect you to be less hostile by now. We have fought alongside each other numerous times by now."

"You haven't answered me." Blake said dryly. "Or did you call me without any reason?"

"I do have a reason, but it is not an overly serious matter. To put it simply, I wanted to invite you to my realm."

"Invite me?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "For what reason, may I ask?"

"To talk." Cinder shrugged. "To spend some time with an old friend, even if she doesn't see me as such."

Blake was quite confused now. Cinder was not fooling her with the friendly words – she wasn't even trying to, judging from the expression on her face.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but, as you can see, we are talking right now, without much difficulty. Is it really worth it to travel to another continent just so we can meet face to face?"

"That is your choice, obviously. In my opinion, however, talking to someone in person feels far different from speaking through a communication device. Even if it works properly, the interaction is greatly diminished."

Blake raised her other eyebrow.

"And besides" Cinder added. "There is always an option that the rebels could intercept the signal somehow."

"Do you mean the Valean Resistance? I got the impression you do not hold them in high regard."

"I used not to. But recently, they have been gaining strength. More people have been joining them, more weapons fell into their hands. It is a real shame they are fighting against us, and not on our side. They _are_ threatening."

"Even to you?" Blake asked, feeling as though she was failing to read between the lines.

"I believe nobody is exempt from danger." Cinder replied, giving Blake a stern glare. "Not even those on the top. So, will you accept my invitation?"

Blake felt shivers creep up her spine. Cinder had never been a one to joke around, but she usually displayed a good deal of confidence, arrogance even. Now, she was deadly serious.

It was a warning.

"I think I will find the time to visit you." Blake replied carefully. "Things have been calm in Atlas for a while now, I do not think they will need me here."

"I am glad to hear that. And I share your opinion, a temporary vacation on your part shouldn't be too much of a problem. Nothing for our superiors to be concerned about for sure."

"I'll see you in Vale then." Blake said. Cinder gave her one last cryptic look, nodded and disconnected, leaving the Queen of Atlas alone with her thoughts.

Cinder was clearly warning her about something. She didn't say what exactly, because she was afraid that the signal would get intercepted. By some of the rebel organizations? No, that made no sense. None of them had the resources to spy on the monarchs, or at least that was what Cinder always believed.

It was more likely that Cinder was afraid somebody from their own side. Someone who already had access to their communication devices. Had Watts gone rogue? Maybe the Albains were planning something, or maybe Lionheart decided to betray them...

Or maybe Cinder was plotting against Salem herself?

It seemed like a crazy thought. During their service, every single one of them came to think of Salem as some sort of invincible deity who cannot and shouldn't be defied in any way. And yet, it seemed to make sense. All these comments could have been meant to hint that maybe it was time to turn against the Queen of Grimm.

But why? Why would Cinder plot against her mistress like that? Aside from being literally immortal, and therefore not easy to overthrow, Salem provided each of her lieutenants with power and prestige that they could never achieve otherwise. What reason they had to rebel against her?

The answer to that question came immediately.

Salem aided the White Fang because she found them useful and she kept them around for the exact same reason. But what if her plans went further than that? What if, after gathering the Relics, Salem would become so powerful that she wouldn't need the White Fang anymore? Or what if her plans involved everyone, including the faunus, getting killed or enslaved? It _was_ the Queen of the Grimm whose plans were in question.

Blake could ignore Cinder after all, pretend she never heard anything. She could even snitch on the Fall Maiden, telling either Adam or Salem herself about her suspicions. In the best case scenario, it would secure her position and harm the woman she hated so much.

In the worst case, she would be dooming everyone.

Should she tell Adam about it? No, that would be pointless. He never really took her concerns seriously, he would not listen to her on the matter like that. Besides, if the conversation between her and Cinder could be eavesdropped on, then so could a call to Adam. The Queen of Vale had been right to discourage her from informing anyone about the issue.

Blake really had to speak to Cinder in person. And pray that her suspicions would turn out incorrect.

* * *

After Cinder terminated the connection, she leant back in her chair. She was in equal parts satisfied, as the conversation went quite well, and frustrated due to being forced to talk with the Belladonna girl in the first place.

That girl was unbelievably thick. Cinder had to drop an absurd amount of hints before that fool even started to suspect that there might be some subtext to the conversation. The fact that she was one of White Fang's leaders truly spoke volumes of how moronic that group of hers really was.

Then again, it weren't exactly Blake's accomplishments that got her that, were they? Her greatest achievement thus far and the main reason she was sitting on top of Atlas was that she had slept with the right person. Which was a legitimate method of gaining power if done intentionally, but Cinder suspected that the girl didn't really have that much foresight and has legitimately fallen for Taurus' questionable charms.

And at the end of the day, Blake's lucky choice of partner has proven just as beneficial as Cinder's years of planning and scheming. That just wasn't fair!

Luckily, the Queen of Vale had a way of evening the odds. It appeared as the Belladonna girl took the bait and would be soon coming over.

The plan had been set in motion.

Spinning her chair around, Cinder gazed through the window and onto the city of Vale. Though it looked peaceful now in the morning sun, it was a fragile peace to say the least. At any moment Cinder could call Torchwick and tell him to start a manhunt in Vale, throwing the capitol into chaos. Or she could, if didn't care about being subtle, simply go out and start burning the crumbling buildings with her elemental powers. This kind of power felt exhilarating to have, making any other feeling known to her mundane in comparison.

If Cinder played her cards right, as she always had, her power would soon grow even further. Her destiny was not yet fulfilled and so she had to keep going. She would keep scheming, manipulating and destroying her enemies until there was nobody to order her around anymore.

Until there was nobody left to oppose her.

* * *

Several people had gathered around a table, in one of many tents of Mountain Glenn encampment. Each one of them had at least one weapon on them, but that was pretty much where the similarities ended.

Colonel Sanders was the oldest person among them and the only one with the legitimate military rank. An officer of the Valean army, he was one of the few soldiers who survived the war and kept fighting. Despite having more experience than all members of team JNPR combined, Colonel was usually content to follow Jaune's orders, though he would always offer useful advice. He had a revolver strapped to his hip, which made him the least armed person in the tent, but he still looked fairly intimidating and very serious - the combination of his military uniform and an imposing statue.

Brigadier General Lie Ren looked serious as well, despite not being even twenty and looking somewhat silly in the military uniform. He made up for it with his stoic demeanor and how he emanated with cool confidence. He didn't keep his weapons out in the open, but if something were to happen, he would draw them within split second and plunge into combat almost immediately.

Colonel Nora Valkyrie looked far less serious. Her uniform wasn't very clean, had several bullet holes in it and was partially covered in glitter. Nora didn't look like a qualified officer... because she really wasn't a qualified officer. She only held such a high rank because, in her judgment, 'Colonel Valkyrie' sounded cool - she didn't actually have any leadership position within the resistance. Still, given her contributions to the cause, not allowing her a part in the meeting such as that would be somewhat disrespectful.

Specialist Pyrrha Nikos was probably the only person in the room whose looks weren't deceiving in the slightest. With her combat uniform, short hair and several weapons on her, she looked like an experienced soldier and she was exactly that. Similarly to Nora, she probably wouldn't contribute much to the conversation - she was always the one to follow orders rather than give them - but she also deserved to be a part of the meeting because of how much she had done for the resistance. And because she would instantly deal with any danger that could arise, making everyone else around feel fairly safe.

Sun Wukong was the only person present who did not wear any sort of uniform and he didn't look like he deserved one. He didn't act like a soldier and seemed a little out of his depth in a meeting such as this. Still, he also seemed confident and the weapon on his back indicated that he could fully back that confidence up in case combat broke out.

And then there was General Jaune Arc. The highest ranking officer and likely the least competent person in the room. Instead of a uniform, he wore his signature suit of armor which was both an aesthetic choice as well as a tactical one. Whenever he participated in a battle, the best way for him to contribute was to look lofty and not to die, both of which were aided greatly by a suit of heavy armor. Right now, however, he struggled with something else - not looking like a complete fool.

"So, I believe you all know why we are gathered here." He said loudly. "Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain of Menagerie, expressed a desire to aid in our cause. Is that correct, Mr. Wukong?"

"It's Sun." The faunus said casually. "But yes, the chief said he is on your side and that he would like to make an alliance of some sort. He didn't give me much details, because he didn't know if you would be interested or even if you'd be still here by the time I reached Vale. He would like to speak personally with the General or perhaps some other high ranking officer."

"We are very much interested." Jaune assured Sun. "But as you undoubtedly know, our options for communication are very much limited."

"With the CCT towers down, we can only send messages over short distances." Ren said. "We have several messengers working for us, but I doubt any of them could quickly reach... Mistral, you said."

"Yes. When I left, the chieftain was occupying the old White Fang base in the western mountain range. I can give you the coordinates, if you want to travel there after all."

"Question." Nora said with a raised hand. "Why does this guy trusts us, humans, so much? I heard that he was a part of the White Fang in the past. And isn't he a father of..."

"Yes." Sun responded. "The father of Blake Belladonna, the Queen Bitch herself. But don't worry, the two of them do not work together or even keep in touch with one another in any way. He left the White Fang way back, before it became violent, let alone genocidal."

"Acknowledged." Nora seemed to accept Sun's explanation. "But the 'Queen Bitch' title is reserved for Fall around here. Queen Belladonna goes by..."

"And what exactly does Belladonna have to offer?" Colonel Sanders asked, interrupting Nora.

"Aside from his official support? He managed to gather several thousand faunus at his side, many of which have combat training and some can even use aura and semblances. Aside from that, he is currently sitting on a highly defensible position and has plenty of supplies, some of which he would surely share in times of need."

"You are not being very specific." Jaune pointed out. He trusted that Sun was being honest, but so far he failed to give them a solid reason to commit to anything.

"I know, I know." The faunus sighed. "Look, I am not allowed to negotiate on the chieftain's behalf. Even if I was, I still wouldn't be able to give you any specifics because I cannot know how the situation looks in Mistral right now. You will have to speak with him personally... if you can manage it, that is."

Could they? Travelling long distances was neither safe nor fast these days. Airships didn't function well without the CCT towers to guide them, and it wasn't like the Resistance had a battleship at hand anyways. The best they could realistically manage would be to acquire some old-fashioned ship and cruise to Mistral over the course of several weeks.

Ghira had been right to ask Jaune to speak personally. There was simply no time to send messages back and forth. The two leaders had to meet in one spot and discuss the terms of cooperation between each other.

Jaune wasn't sure which choice was strategically correct. Not in the slightest. But if he had a choice between acting and letting an opportunity like that be wasted?

He was willing to take a little risk.

"I will visit the chieftain personally." The General announced. "I will begin preparations at once."

"Are you certain?" Sanders asked. "You will be putting yourself at a big risk. And please don't respond that it is dangerous everywhere these days."

"I know that I will be facing an increased level of danger." Jaune responded. "But I think it might be worth it in the end. We need allies if we want any chance of winning this war."

Honestly, calling the ongoing conflict 'war' was a huge stretch. The Resistance consisted of less than ten thousand people, less than half of which were capable combatants. White Fang had two hundred thousand soldiers in Vale alone. It was not an even fight by any means. If things continued like that for long enough, people would get complacent and accept White Fang's hold over Remnant. Their resistance would eventually cease to exist, whether by enemy action, or simply as a result of them running out of supplies and will to fight.

That's why getting more people on their side was so crucial. Even if Belladonna would not offer them any material help, his support could help them a great deal when it came to maintaining morale.

"You aren't going to venture alone, I hope?" Pyrrha asked, only now joining the conversation.

"Of course not. In fact, I would like you to accompany me. Partially because it will make things safer, but also because your reputation will surely help us during the talks."

Pyrrha nodded to that, visibly relieved. She would stay in Vale if he ordered her to, but it was clear that she didn't want to let him go alone. She was always protective of her partner like that, and while having his girlfriend look after him like that made Jaune somewhat embarrassed, it wasn't unreasonable of her by any means. She was the strongest fighter in the Resistance and he was the organization's leader. It would make sense for Pyrrha to protect him either way.

"So, you are taking our strongest fighter." Sanders stated. There was no accusation in his voice, he just pointed that fact out in case Jaune decided to reconsider. After not getting a reply for several seconds, he continued. "Who else are you planning on bringing with you?"

"That depends how the logistics of everything will work out." Jaune replied. "But I don't think I will need more than two dozen people or so, no matter the case. I know I will be taking Sun with me, because it is only appropriate this way. I also want Velvet to travel along."

"Velvet you say?" Ren said, eyebrows raised. "Is that a way of making sure that nothing happens with her while you are gone? That nobody tries to kill her for alleged treason?"

"Partially. More than that though, I want another strong fighter nearby in case something goes wrong." Jaune admitted. "And Velvet is an absolute beast when she goes all out."

"I suppose that makes sense." Sanders said. "We will be needing some sort of vehicle to transport over a dozen people across the ocean then. I think we can borrow a boat form some coastal village."

Or not exactly borrow. More likely steal, if not hijack. It wouldn't be the most morally ambiguous thing they have done so far - they were fighting a war after all - but it still sounded pretty bad when you said it as it was.

"It's settled then." Jaune announced. "Ren, I will be leaving you in charge for the time being. If I do not return, for whatever reason, you will be a new Commanding General of the Resistance."

"Please try to prevent that from happening. I don't think I will do well on that position." Despite having thrown in a joke, Ren was giving Jaune a serious look. The General nodded in response - he would do anything he had to in order to return safely.

"Neat!" Sun exclaimed. "We are going on a journey to the east together. I might even get a bonus if we get there alive."

Though it could prove fairly hard.

* * *

Ruby was making her way up the stairs of the old apartment building. It was dark - the night had fallen a while ago and not all the lamps were working properly - but she somehow managed to avoid tripping.

She had to stay in a factory a bit longer than usual, due to an incoming deadline for delivering the weapons. She was even more tired than after a regular day of work and her right hand was aching horribly, but it wasn't all that bad. The manager - a faunus technically apart from the White Fang - had the courtesy to pay the workers for overtime, and so Ruby had more lien on her hands now than in a long time. While things weren't exactly going well for her - and there likely never would in this new world - she was at least somewhat secure now in terms of finances.

Upon reaching the door of her apartment, she saw something unexpected lying on the floor. A package. It wasn't too weird in of itself - the postal services didn't work very well these days, but she would still receive something from time to time. But this particular package had no designations on it, no stamps or anything like that. It was just sort of...there, lying under the door.

It was large, too. So large that Ruby doubted that she would be able to carry it through the door by herself. And she didn't want to ask any of her neighbors for help that late. She therefore sighed and began unpacking the thing.

She took a step back once she saw what was inside.

It... didn't make any sense. But there it was. There was no confusing it with any other weapon. Crescent Rose, Ruby's most excellent creation and the only weapon she ever truly considered her own, just appeared on her doorstep with no explanation.

After standing in the corridor for about a minute, Ruby realized that she probably shouldn't just stand like that with a huntress-grade weapon right before her, lest someone will notice and call the militia. She opened the door and dragged Crescent Rose inside the flat, trying not to make too much noise.

The apartment was, to put it mildly, not very luxurious. Aside from the bathroom and a pantry, it comprised of one moderately big room with furniture brought from Patch cramped into it. Ruby wasn't exactly able to afford anything better - she was forced to sell the hut she inherited at a lowered price and the costs of living space in Vale had increased significantly since a big part of the city was destroyed in an invasion. At times Ruby wondered if it wouldn't be better for her to move into somebody else's place or just sleep in a shelter, but situations like that proved that yes, living alone had some major benefits.

After she was done, Ruby closed the door shut and sat down on a couch. Zwei was lying there as well, curled into a ball and apparently asleep. Ruby really appreciated corgi's company. Aside from being an all-round awesome pet, Zwei had been, for a good while, the only reminder of the old days Ruby had.

But not anymore. She now had her old weapon, the same one her father took from her at the start of the war. How had it found its way there now that her father was, sadly, long dead, Ruby had no idea. And really, it wasn't the most important question right now.

 _What should I do now?_ The girl asked herself and wished there was a clear answer. With Crescent Rose she was again a dangerous combatant, but did it really matter right now? It was good that she was able to defend herself from potential attackers, but there was no reason for her to go out and attack somebody herself. The war was over, the time for killing had passed. Maybe, in time, somebody would make a serious attempt to overthrow the White Fang and Ruby would join the fighting. But at that moment, she wasn't really able to do anything about the situation. She should just stay low and keep surviving as she had up until this day. It was the best course of action.

Right?

No. It was stupid and selfish of her to think this way. However grim things might have looked, there were still thousands of people resisting the oppressors, doing whatever little they could to aid the fight. Ruby had no excuse to stay back, especially since, unlike many of those people, she could do quite a lot.

She could fight.

Well, not right away. During the last two years she only held a weapon when she was putting one together in the factory. She needed to get back into shape somehow. She couldn't ask anyone to train her, all the really good fighters being either on the run, on the White Fang's payroll or dead these days, but with hordes of Grimm roaming under city's walls there was more than enough enemies viable for target practice.

Those thoughts made Ruby feel... strange. It took her a while to recognize the feeling, as she hadn't experienced it for a long time now. It was the same feeling she got whenever she participated in a match during her time in Signal, or when she was fighting a pack of Beowolves on her own, or back when she faced the criminals on the moon-lit street.

A call to battle.

* * *

 **The plot thickens, things are happening, people are doing stuff. A nice change from describing characters being miserable for the last several chapters.**

 **Speaking of miserable, I have been working on two more RWBY stories on the side recently, both of which have their first chapters as good as written already. I don't think I will publish them right now though, as I feel it would be kind of unprofessional - for a lack of a better term - of me to try and juggle my attention between five freaking stories. I will wait until I can manage a regular updating schedule with my ongoing works. Still, it's good to have an option ready in case I hit a metaphorical artistic wall with any of my stories.**


	9. Opposing Viewpoints

**Another chapter. I considered waiting till tomorrow with uploading it, but after a three weeks without an update, I figured I'll just post it as soon as possible. Sorry for any errors I missed while reviewing.**

* * *

It was often said that no matter how bad things were, they could always get worse. Yang could attest to that being true. She used to think that after seeing her teammates die, getting horribly maimed and then being forced to sit in a cell for the rest of her life, things couldn't get any worse for her. Unfortunately, they have.

Now she had to sit in a cell and listen to Taurus' inane attempts at socializing.

"Could you please be a little bit more mature?" The faunus requested. He was clearly exasperated, likely because he has received no response from Yang during the last five minutes. "You are not exactly helping yourself by acting that way."

Yang didn't care. She still had a bit of dignity remaining and thus she would not honor that monster with a reply.

"I can understand where you are coming from." Annoyingly, the faunus kept speaking. "But what is the point of being so bitter? It will not help you in any way, not anymore."

The huntress remained silent.

"You are acting foolishly right now." Taurus said, likely shaking his head. "You keep ignoring and rejecting me, even though I am simply trying to help you."

"Trying to help me!?" Yang couldn't help but shout back an answer now. "Why would a monster like you want to do that?"

"A monster?" Taurus' voice was saddened now, but Yang could tell the obvious deception for what it was. "Why would see me in that way? I am interested to hear your reasoning."

"You want to hear my reasoning? Well alright." Yang spat with a healthy dose of sarcasm. "You and your murderous buddies carried out a worldwide war, killing hundreds of thousands of people. That is enough for you to be called a monster."

"War was necessary to destroy the system that oppressed my people. It was bloody, yes, but it ultimately created a new world on the surface of Remnant."

"How can you be proud of that world you created? With all the suffering, the slavery and the..."

"Stop right there." Taurus interrupted. "Slavery. I didn't think you would be opposed to it, since all the human kingdoms practiced it at one point. You could say they were built upon it."

"That doesn't justify anything. Faunus slavery was abolished decades ago." Yang replied, though that response seemed a little weak even to her. Maybe it was because...

"That is blatantly untrue." Taurus retorted, his voice unflinching. "I have scars that can prove that. Slavery might have been abolished officially, but the Schnees and their likes had been practicing it anyways in all but name and that wasn't going to stop in of itself. But even if I gave you that and pretended that slavery and all other forms of discrimination against the faunus just disappeared after the Great War, how does that make us wrong to seek retribution? A debt gets larger over time, not smaller."

"Whatever your species might have suffered in the past, that doesn't justify the things you did! You are the worst monster Remnant has ever seen!"

"Because I decided to fight back? That doesn't make much sense. By the same logic, are you just as evil as I supposedly am, simply because you fought back against me?"

"It's not the same!" Yang shouted back angrily. "You were killing people left and right. We were trying to stop you."

"And I was trying to stop your people from oppressing and, yes, killing mine. Are you saying that I should have done nothing and watched innocent faunus suffer? And please don't tell me that our suffering was insignificant compared to what we have done in response. It wouldn't stop you from retaliating, had your species been the one oppressed. "

"You could have tried something else though. Some peaceful solution, without.."

"We tried though." The faunus interrupted. "The White Fang started as a civil rights group that wouldn't engage in violence of any kind. It wasn't working. Then we resorted to violence on a limited scale. It worked a little better, but we became a target for human authorities and were not able to fight them on equal grounds. We had to resort to more drastic measures simply to even out the playing field."

"By killing and enslaving innocents?"

"Yes." Taurus replied bluntly. "You might say we went too far, I hear that a lot. But how far should we have gone, exactly?"

"Not that far, that is for sure." Yang retorted.

"A copout answer, I see." Taurus said, snorting. "But then again, there is no good answer to that, is there? We were fighting a total war and the consequences of failure, especially during the final stage, would have been catastrophic. Had your side won the conflict, can you honestly say that you would have been more merciful towards us than we are towards you now?"

She couldn't. During the late stages of the war, Atlas was taking serious action against the faunus, even those who weren't in any way associated with the White Fang. They were not allowed to join the armed forces under any circumstances and were eventually all grouped into internment camps for 'safety reasons'. Many of the kingdom's leaders argued for even more extreme measures to be taken, some openly calling for carrying out a genocide against the faunus. If White Fang got defeated somehow, there was no telling what would the Kingdoms do to prevent another uprising like that.

"So, you believe that we should have simply kept taking punches." The man continued, when he realized there was no response incoming. "Strive to be good servants, until our human masters feel merciful enough to instate some actual equality. Only even then it wouldn't really be equality, because the scars from centuries of oppression would still burden us and we would never receive any kind of compensation. Yet now when you have been hurt, when your species is at a disadvantage, you see resistance as something noble. Where is the logic here, I ask?"

 _He is much better at debating than I am._ Yang realized. _He must have had this conversation countless times by now. Of course he would have an answer prepared for anything I have to say._

She decided that she wouldn't humor that monster with any further arguments. And she was going to make that crystal clear to him.

"I had enough of this." She said firmly. "You may think you are right, but I will never believe you anything more than a monster. And I would rather rot here than accept help from someone like you."

Yang expected Taurus to keep arguing and was a little disappointed when he let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine. I can't force you to be reasonable. If you want to suffer in solitude, be my guest."

Few steps could be heard as the bull faunus walked towards the door. Before he reached it, however, he stopped for some unknown reason.

"What now?" Yang asked. She just wanted for that bastard to go away.

"You said you don't want any help from me. Which is fair enough I suppose, it is your choice after all. But what about the people you care about?"

"What about them?" Yang practically growled. That piece of scum just crossed another line.

"I am aware that life is harsh for your people these days. I believe it deserved, but I am not above doing some particular humans a favor. If could find your friends or family members, check if they are enslaved or starving and help them if they do."

"Don't bother. You are wasting your time again." Yang replied sharply.

"Don't bother helping? Even when it concerns other people, rather than just you?"

"Oh, I know where this is going." Yang replied. "Isn't that a standard procedure for you? Go after somebody's family to make them submit? Well, you're short on luck. Even if I were stupid enough to tell you where you can find my family..." Yang's voice broke. "I don't have one anymore. Everyone I cared about is either dead or missing. You have nothing to threaten me with."

That wasn't necessarily true, but true enough. Ruby could have been living safely in Vale, but the alternative was just as likely with how eager her sister was to face danger. It didn't really matter for the purpose of that conversation. If Ruby was alive, Yang didn't want to put her in more danger than she already was in. If she was dead, Yang preferred not to know about that.

"I am sorry to hear that." Taurus lied. "Still, if there is someone you're worried about, just tell me the next time around." With that, the bull faunus exited the room. Yang relaxed a little, though she remained highly annoyed and bitter.

She hated those visits. Aside from the obvious anger resulting from having her friends' killer casually chat with her, there was always a sense of resignation following those conversations. They made her realize just how pathetic she really was, sitting in a cell, unable to do anything about the fact that the world was now ruled by murderers and tyrants.

Was it any different than before the war though? Maybe Taurus was right and Remnant had been always ran by assholes. It didn't make the White Fang right, of course, but it did mean that things had always been terrible and the only thing that changed was the species taking the brunt of it.

Everything is horrible and always had been. Yang liked that outlook. It matched the empirical observations.

Even though she barely had time to do any exercise today, Yang felt pretty tired. She lied down on her bed, hoping to fall asleep soon enough.

But then she heard someone's shoes loudly hit the floor. Well, loudly for Yang's sharpened sense of hearing. She instantly tensed thinking that Taurus came back for some reason, but then she realized that the sound didn't really match his footsteps and, what was weird, seemed to originate from inside the cell proper.

"Get up." Yang heard a stern, female voice. One of the guards, probably, though not the one she recognized.

"Make me." The prisoner uttered her usual answer, knowing that the guards would never risk...

Yang was yanked from the bed and _thrown_ onto the floor. She was too shocked to pull off a good landing and so she hit the floor pretty hard, spraining her ankle upon the impact.

"Here you go." The woman commented dryly. "Now stand up. I'll get you out of there."

Wait what? Did that person just offered to set her free? After all these months in captivity the concept of breaking out seemed strange in of itself, but it if that was what it appeared to be...

"You mean... out of this place? The cell and everything?" Yang asked, just to be sure.

"What do you think I mean? Stand up, I hate to repeat myself."

Yang obeyed, sanding up on both her legs. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, but if there was a chance of getting out of that damn cell, she would take it.

"Alright, we don't have much time, so any questions will have to wait. Luckily, we can get this over with quickly." Yang heard the person say. She then heard a sound of a sword being unsheathed and then another, strange, buzzing sound.

"You will pass through this portal and wait for me on the other side. That's literally all." The woman said, sounding absolutely serious all the way through.

"Portal?" Yang asked in confusion.

"Right, you can't exactly see it." Those words were said completely casually, without any embarrassment, or tact for that matter. "Just make a couple of steps to the left."

Not seeing any better option, Yang obeyed. She made one, two, three steps, until she experienced... something.

There was no good way to describe it. The sensation was akin to sitting in a quickly accelerating car, but not quite. Like freefalling through the air, but not quite. Like trying to walk while drunk, but not quite. It was just a strange and unusual feeling.

The effects of it were just as strange. Whereas the moment before Yang was feeling the cold floor of a cell underneath her feat, now she could feel the blades of grass. The stale air was replaced by a cold, yet gentle wind, and she could feel the rays of sunlight warm her skin. Yang haven't felt any of those things in a long time, having spent the last year in a dungeon, and the year before that in cold ravines of Atlas.

All the sensations were too much for her. She felt down on her knees, though the grass was fortunately soft enough to cushion the impact.

"You are Yang Xiao-Long, right?" Another female voice asked. Yang couldn't bring herself to say anything back - she was too busy inhaling fresh air for once - but she nodded in response.

"Great. Now we're just waiting for our fearsome leader to follow." The person sighed annoyed. "Welcome to the Branwen tribe, by the way."

* * *

Adam walked out of the cell room, feeling a little tired. It was really weird how he was able to fight for hours on end, but a conversation like that was enough to tire him.

Then again, that Xiao-Long girl was particularly hard to deal with. Once more, Adam pondered why he even bothered with her, since she was clearly content with wailing in her own misery. The reasons he gave her were not untrue, he did find her to be a formidable warrior and one of the few humans with some actual guts. That, however, was hardly a reason enough for him to waste his time talking to some human prisoner when he had an entire world to govern.

Was it just compassion? Probably not. Even if the girl didn't deserve what happened to her, which she sort of did after killing dozens of White Fang soldiers, she was hardly the only one suffering. War, as glorious as it was, left many people scarred physically, mentally or both at the same time. He had no reason to pity a human and a former opponent, not while thousands of his own men laid broken as well.

But, in a way, Adam enjoyed those talks. Being surrounded by sycophants and shameless flatterers, he rarely got to talk with anyone who would question him in any way. Tiring or not, there was a value to having an ideological argument with someone who held opposing viewpoints. It kept him sharp, reminded him what his ideals were and how to counter the opposing arguments... even if those arguments weren't particularly good.

And who knew, maybe that girl would eventually see reason. It was an off-chance, since she was quite literally blinded by her hatred and spite, but it was worth trying. If he could get someone that stubborn to reconsider her position, then he could do that with pretty much anyone.

But right now, his job wasn't to convince anyone of anything. He had to get back to his office and review the reports from different areas of Menagerie and then decide which requests to approve and which to dismiss. It was just an inherent downside of being a ruler, one he dearly hated. It almost made him envy the rebels - they surely didn't have to deal with that sort of crap.

Before taking a turn for another corridor, Adam felt some change occur back in the cell. His Grimm senses indicated that there was now another presence in the room, one filled with negativity almost as much as Yang was. It could be a guard coming over, if not for how suddenly they appeared, as if they hadn't walked inside the room but instead just materialized there out of nowhere.

The faunus stopped in his tracks. He wondered if it was worth turning back and checking the cell, but after a moment he decided that it was probably nothing important. Grimm senses weren't very reliable and it was fully possible that he just happened not to notice the guard while they were entering the room.

He went back on that decision once Xiao-Long suddenly disappeared.

Adam turned around and rushed into the room he just left. Not wanting to stop even for a second, he broke straight through the door while unsheathing his sword. It proved to have been the correct choice when he saw a woman, dressed in red and black, standing in the middle of the cell with her own sword in hand. Right next to her there was something that seemed like a portal, levitating two feet above the floor.

The woman made a move to enter the buzzing portal, but she didn't get to reach it. Adam charged straight at her, breaking the steel bars along the way. She didn't have any time to react as the bull faunus slammed into her and then pressed her to a wall, holding a sword to her throat.

The entire thing didn't even take a second, though it seemed much longer to Adam's skewed perception of time. It was sort of unfair just how much faster he was than other people, even highly trained ones like huntsmen and huntresses.

"I'm sorry, I don't think you're allowed here." He said sarcastically, staring into the woman's eyes. Or rather at her mask, stylized to look like a face of a Grimm. A White Fang member Adam didn't know, or just someone with a similar fashion sense?

"I can go... wherever I want." The masked woman had some trouble speaking due to the sword pressing on her throat, but she didn't seem particularly afraid. Then again, that might have been just a ruse.

"Sure you can. But if you go somewhere you're not allowed, you have to suffer the..." Before Adam got to finish the sentence, the woman in front of him disappeared. Just like that. There was no portal, no visual or acoustic effect, she just disappeared like that, causing Wilt to hit the wall.

Adam was so surprised, that he made an unforgivable mistake - he stood idly for over a second. He should have jumped back, prepare a defense against a potential attack, but instead he just stood there like an idiot trying to process what just happened.

When the attack hit, it was already too late for him to dodge or parry. He barely had enough time to activate his aura, preventing the sword from cutting his head clean off. Still, the force of the blow was powerful enough to throw him to the other side of the cell and onto the neighboring wall.

The black-clad woman stood in the middle of the room again, her blade already back in the defensive position. She was fast and, as Adam just witnessed, pretty strong as well.

But she wasn't quite as strong or fast as him. His unnatural powers made him one of the most powerful beings in Remnant, and that woman was, skilled or not, still just a human.

Or a faunus. There was no way to tell.

"That's a nice trick." Adam said, sheathing his sword. He made it look like a gesture of peace, though it really meant nothing - he could draw the sword back in a split second. "Mind telling me how you did that?"

"I'd prefer to keep my secrets." The woman replied, eyeing Adam up and not lowering her sword even an inch. Apparently, she was fairly smart in addition to being a strong fighter. "I wouldn't want you to copy any of my tricks."

"You accuse me of plagiarism?" Adam said, snorting. "That mask, a red Chokutō, the whole red and black palette... aren't you just copying my style?"

"No." She replied, irritation audible in her voice. "And that's an Ōdachi, for your information."

"Sorry. My mistake." Adam said, before drawing Wilt again and launching at his opponent. He didn't aim to kill right away, partially because he was afraid of overextending or making a similar mistake by being too aggressive, but mostly because the intruder caught his interest and it would be a shame to kill her just like that, Instead of one fast strike, which he would have used to end the fight in most circumstances, he threw a series of fast, but not particularly strong attacks at his opponent.

She deflected each one of them. Her bladework was indeed impressive, superior to most huntsmen Adam had seen. Still, it wouldn't be enough to stop Adam if he went all out, especially now that the Wilt had absorbed a little energy from clashing with the other blade. The woman was fighting a losing battle.

"We don't have to do this, you know?" Adam said, ceasing in his assault. "Just explain why you decided to kidnap my prisoner, give her back and I promise I'll find you a comfortable cell somewhere around here."

"Don't play dumb." The intruder growled back. "You know exactly why I did that. I couldn't let you finish what you were doing."

Adam smiled knowingly, even though he didn't have the slightest clue what the woman was talking about. What was he supposedly trying to do that needed to be halted? Help out a disabled person?

"In that case, let me simplify this. Drop your weapon, or I'll kill you right here and now."

"You are welcome to try." The intruder replied unflinchingly.

Adam complied.

He lunged at his opponent, this time going at his full speed. The woman did raise her sword in defense, but Adam simply jumped two feet to the side at the last moment, so that he was in a perfect position to strike.

His opponent didn't have nearly enough time to block the incoming blow. Adam couldn't help but smile as he brought the blade down and towards the intruder's neck.

Before the strike connected, however, strange blue flames ignited behind the woman's Grimm mask. It took Adam a split second to realize what that meant, after which he had no time left to react.

 _Crap._ He thought as the lightning struck him.

Most people didn't fully realize what lightning _was_. They knew it was dangerous, of course, but they didn't think it any more dangerous than sticking a fork into a power plug. They certainly didn't think it was something huntsmen and other aura users had to be afraid of - they have all seen huntsmen initiates survive electricity-based attacks during the Vytal Tournament. A bolt of lightning shouldn't be any more dangerous.

But it was. The power it carried was far greater than even a gallon of so-called lightning dust could release. The temperature alone would be enough to fry the skin if not for the aura, and not even Adam's ridiculous reserves were enough to fully absorb the attack. Blinded by the flash, he was once again thrown across the room, cracking the wall as he impacted with it.

But, even though it hurt like hell and the smell of burned skin reached his nostrils, he was alive. If he had been hit with an attack like that two years ago, he would have either died or got seriously hurt. As it was, it didn't appear like the lightning had done any crippling damage.

Adam rose to his feet and grabbed his sword again as fast as he could. He was prepared to fend off any follow-up attack, but none came. Instead he caught the sight of a shrinking portal, which disappeared completely before he managed to do anything about it.

The High Leader was left alone in a cell room. Broken steel bars riddled the floor, the walls seemed as though they were on a verge of collapsing and just about everything that hadn't been attached now laid scattered across the whole room.

Looking at all this, Adam felt quite angry. More than he has felt for a long time now. His prey had just escaped with his property, but not before humiliating him in a fight that he should have won. The faunus swung his sword, sending a wave of energy onto the opposing wall, which then collapsed outwards. Sunlight poured in through the hole, illuminating the ruined cell.

After taking several deep breaths, Adam calmed down a little. Annoying as the situation was, it wasn't all that bad. One of his biggest problems, that is the lack of any concrete results regarding Salem's plans, had just resolved itself at least partially. After over a year of wild goose chase, he finally had something to focus on.

He found himself a maiden to hunt down.

Adam sheathed his sword and exited the room. The guards were only now arriving at the scene, bowing upon seeing their leader and asking him questions about what just happened, but Adam paid them no mind as he marched through the corridor. After all, he had important business to attend.

Things were becoming interesting again.

* * *

 **These chapters have been getting progressively shorter for a while now. Sorry about that. When writing a chapter I always aim to cover a specific topic or an event. This one was more focused than any of the previous chapters, centering around a singular encounter. The next one will be more disjointed, describing the fallout of this fight and whatnot.**

 **As for when I will upload it, I don't really know. I tried creating myself some consistent schedule, but it didn't work out due to yours truly being disorganized and kind of lazy. I will just keep writing as much as I realistically can in my current situation and we'll see how that works out.**


	10. Departures

**I would apologize for taking so long to write a single chapter, but I have already done that many times over. Just take the above-average length of the chapter as an excuse, alright?**

* * *

Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen. With each strike of Pyrrha's Xiphos, the pack of Ursai was getting smaller, more and more Grimm falling to the golden blade and evaporating soon after.

So far, Pyrrha enjoyed that battle. Nowadays, most of her fights were waged against a number of human or faunus enemies, forcing her to kill numerous people without even having anyone to watch her back or to offer her comfort during the darkest moments.

This time, it was different. The mayor of the village they were planning on sailing from agreed to prepare a boat for them on the condition that they would wipe out the Grimm roaming near the settlement. While none of them was a fully-trained huntsman or a huntress, they were more than strong enough for the job and striking a deal such as that felt much better than simply hijacking the vessel they needed.

Right now, the three warriors were wiping the floor with the pack of Ursai. While Pyrrha probably had the highest kill-count at this point, the others were not doing bad by any means - Velvet was pulling her weigh even without using her weapon and Sun was maneuvering between the Grimm with ease, occasionally shooting one of them with his rather bizarre weapon.

Pyrrha wished Jaune was with them as well, but he was too valuable to their cause to be risked in a battle like that. It felt strange to call anybody, 'valuable', especially her lover and a team leader, but it was how they all commonly thought about people these days.

Jaune was the most useful member of the Resistance and needed to be protected at all costs. Ren, Sanders and herself were key pieces as well and needed to stay alive as well. Other huntsmen were not quite as important, but they still remained very valuable. Regular soldiers were less important than that, but their lives still shouldn't be wasted. The civilians were, as grim as it sounded, viable to be sacrificed if that meant saving someone more valuable. And every White Fang sympathizer was either a casualty not to be concerned about or a threat to be dealt with. Pyrrha didn't like all those distinctions, but they needed to be made in times such as these.

It was another reason why Pyrrha enjoyed that particular fight so much. There were no moral dilemmas here. The only choice she had to make was which Ursa deserved to fall first.

Another Grimm, a fairly small one, lunged at Pyrrha with its claws. It was as much of a valiant attempt as it was a fruitless one – the champion simply spun her sword and decapitated the Ursa in one, swift move, spilling blood all over the ground.

If there was anything this battle lacked, it was its rather mild difficulty. Back when the pack was still full, Pyrrha had to fight cleverly as to not be overwhelmed, but now it was just too easy.

As though Gods themselves decided to accommodate Pyrrha, an Ursa Major emerged from the tree line. It was probably waiting for the right moment to strike for a while now, as the older and larger Grimm sometimes did. Intelligence grew with age and only served to make those beasts more dangerous and deadly.

Hopefully this one would not prove deadly enough.

Pyrrha jumped in order to distance herself from the main pack and switched Miló to its spear form. She could have tried to fight the Major with a sword and she probably would have won, but she wasn't the one to take unnecessary risks, even if she somewhat enjoyed the thrill. The Grimm had to be dealt with quickly and efficiently, lest one of her companions could suffer an injury or even die fighting.

The Ursa Major roared and charged at Pyrrha, likely recognizing her as the biggest threat around. The smaller Grimm hastily moved out of its way, only to face Sun on one side and Velvet on the other. Pyrrha had no doubt that her companions could handle the smaller specimen, so she didn't pay much attention to their fights, instead focusing on the monster in front of her.

The Specialist stood still until the very last moment, in which she jumped to the side, avoiding the Ursa's charge and causing it to slide on the ground for about two seconds as it attempted to slow down. By the time it stopped and turned around to face Pyrrha again, she already had her spear pointed and ready to be thrown.

Without other Grimm or any other obstacle blocking the way, Pyrrha threw Miló with all her strength. The spear soared through the air and, after less than a second, pierced the Ursa's skull. It wasn't enough to kill the gargantuan Grimm outright, but Pyrrha was able to fix that pretty easily. She lunged towards the Grimm, reaching it within a second, grabbed the spear near the blade and then pushed it deeper into the monster's head, causing it to let out a pained roar and collapse to the ground a moment later.

The Ursa Major lasted about fifteen seconds against her in total. More than most people she had a chance to fight against.

After looking around, Pyrrha realized that the other Grimm had already been taken care of as well. Velvet has just finished the process of crushing the head of the last Ursa and Sun was casually transforming his weapon back into its collapsed form.

"Well, that wasn't too hard." The monkey faunus said once he was done. "I'm sort of surprised this folk needed us to take care of the problem. One professional huntsmen would be enough to break this pack up for sure."

"There aren't that many adult huntsmen alive." Velvet pointed out. "Besides, those Grimm only appeared recently. We're lucky to have arrived just as they needed us."

"Oh right. I think I forgot how screwed up things are these days." Sun said completely casually, as though he was talking about the weather being bad and not the world being in a state of disarray. He then placed his weapon on his back and turned in the direction of the settlement. "Is that all we had to do?"

"I believe so." Pyrrha confirmed, putting down her own weapons as well. "You can go ahead. I'll check if any blood got into the circuits."

"I'll have your back." Velvet offered, to which Pyrrha gratefully nodded. Checking on the state of her weapons would make her vulnerable for a while, and while a chance of an enemy attack in these circumstances was rather low, having an ally nearby would help ease her newly-developed paranoia.

Sun shrugged and marched off onto the distance. Pyrrha felt a twinge of guilt for letting him walk alone through wild area, but she reminded herself how negligible the risk was - even if there were some Grimm capable of threatening Sun, his semblance was perfect for quick retreats. He was more than capable of surviving in dangerous areas such as this and he proved that by travelling from Mistral to Mountain Glenn seemingly on his own.

Confident in her companion's safety, Pyrrha sat down on top of a nearby rock and opened Miló's bullet chamber. It was almost full, since she hadn't fired that many shots during the fight and was luckily free of Grimm blood.

As Pyrrha proceeded to check other parts of her weapon for potential deficiencies, Velvet sat down nearby. She looked... unwell. Somewhat sad, perhaps frustrated, definitely bothered by something.

"Something's on your mind?" The Specialist asked, pulling her eyes away from her weapon for the first time in several minutes.

"Not really." Velvet shrugged, though she failed to convey indifference. "I'm just surprised there were so many Grimm here. Didn't Nora clean that area, like, a week ago?"

"She did." Pyrrha replied. "And she did it thoroughly. But Grimm just keep coming, especially these days. The only settlements that don't attract hordes of Grimm are those where people are content with White Fang's rule."

"The ones inhabited by faunus." Velvet stated. She didn't ask, she just stated it as a grim fact.

"Velvet, we've been through this before." Pyrrha sighed. "There are faunus who are happy with the White Fang being in power. Just as there are some humans. The majority of people doesn't support all that tyranny, regardless of species."

"Sure. It just so happens that almost no faunus bother to do anything about it. And that all of that is done in the name of faunus supremacy." Velvet said bitterly. "I appreciate the effort, but let's not deny reality here."

Pyrrha sighed. Being ashamed of her own species wasn't a new behavior for Velvet, but she would usually give it up after a few comforting words. It appeared as though she was getting progressively worse in that regard.

Then again, there wasn't much Pyrrha could do about that - she wasn't a psychiatrist or anyone of the sort and didn't know how to deal with issues like that. And though she might have disapproved of Velvet's self-deprecating tendencies, she would probably feel the same way if the humans were enslaving the faunus instead of other way around.

Lacking an appropriate reply, Pyrrha removed the old ammo clip and then proceeded to clean Miló with a damp tissue. Since no Grimm showed up, she took her time and proceeded to rub the weapon until it could be considered decently clean. Only then did Pyrrha get up and march in the direction of the village.

Velvet followed. Neither of them said a single word to the other one, not knowing what exactly they were supposed to say. It was another downside of their current predicament - when you were spending all your time on fighting or preparing to fight, finding suitable topics for conversation could be very hard. You couldn't even ask a generic question such as 'how is your family doing' for fear of reminding somebody of their dead relatives.

Pyrrha, luckily enough, didn't have that particular problem. Her family denounced her long ago, hoping to separate themselves from her actions. They were, in fact, quite vocal about how they support the new regime and how the Resistance is just a bunch of terrorists and bandits, Specialist Nikos included. To have your own family claim they hate you, truthfully or not, was painful as hell, but it was really for the best. White Fang decided not to take revenge by proxy in Pyrrha's case, instead using her family's declaration of contempt as a propaganda tool. After all, how can you call yourself a hero if most of the world, including your own family, hates you for your actions?

And the worst thing about this was that Pyrrha didn't know who really hated her and who was merely pretending. She was fairly sure that most people, faunus or humans, despised the White Fang and would be rooting for the Resistance to win. But how many exactly? And who? Was Pyrrha's own sister content with hoe the world looked like now? Her mother? Her father?

All these thoughts kept circling in Pyrrha's head as she and Velvet entered the village - though calling it a village was probably a bit unfair. It was actually a decently-sized coastal settlement, with walls strong enough to protect against most types of Grimm - though again, there was no telling what would have happened had a horde of Ursai attacked the town at once. Several guards were stationed on these walls, equipped with primitive weaponry but otherwise suitable for their job, as they were vigilantly observing the terrain for potential threats. Upon seeing two not-quite-huntresses arrive, they opened the gates letting them inside the settlement.

As she was passing through the entrance, Pyrrha was prepared to deal with any sort of annoying person - an admirer who wanted to thank the Specialist for her protection, a bitter human who would bully Velvet for her heritage or both. She had already been through so many situations during the last two years and even earlier that she had several lines ready for each instance. She was therefore incredibly relieved when the first person to greet her was her partner, Jaune Arc.

"You are here. I was starting to worry." He said, approaching the two girls. He was wearing his signature armor and his weapons - the famed Crocea Mors and nameless shotgun - were both at his waist, ready to be used at any moment.

"Liar." Pyrrha remarked with a smile. "You must have met Sun a moment ago which means you knew that we came out of the battle unscathed."

"Well yeah." Jaune admitted, also smiling slightly. "But I was afraid that you tripped on a rock somewhere and broke your legs. Glad to see that's not the case."

"We are not that bad." Velvet joined in. "We handled our job properly. What about you?"

"I think I did well. The negotiations went without a hitch and the ship is already being loaded. After I report that you eliminated the Grimm, we will have a permission to take off."

"That's one obstacle behind us then." Pyrrha said, her smile turning somewhat forceful. Just as she said, that was only one obstacle. There was no guarantee that they would make it through the ocean or even that the whole thing wasn't an elaborate trap.

"It is." If Jaune also felt anxious about the journey that awaited them, he wouldn't let it show. During his months as the general he became quite proficient at putting on masks and fronts, so that sometimes even Pyrrha wasn't able to guess how he was feeling at the given moment. "I already told Sun to get on board, get used to the deck and all. You can join him if you'd like, I'll have to bring the news to the mayor."

"I don't want to stay in this town any longer than necessary." Velvet replied. "Pyrrha?"

"Me neither." The redhead shook her head. "I'll be waiting for you on the ship, Jaune."

"I'll arrive as soon as I can." Jaune promised. He then stood silently for a second, as though wondering whether he should give his girlfriend a kiss or some other gesture of affection, but ultimately he just turned and walked away.

Pyrrha sighed. Of course Jaune wouldn't be overly affectionate in public like that. While it was no secret that the two of them were a couple and there was no reason why they _couldn't_ act like that, it still felt rather unprofessional and it certainly looked unprofessional to anyone watching. They had to maintain an illusion of restraint, create an impression that they could separate their personal lives from their duties. Because if the Resistance leader and his strongest champion were not treating the fight seriously, what hope for victory was there?

"Pyrrha?" Velvet asked, patting her companion on the shoulder. Pyrrha realized that she had just zoned out for a moment, which couldn't had looked good from the outside.

"I'm fine." She stated, putting as much confidence in her voice as she could. "I just really want this whole war to be over already."

"Be careful what you wish for. If we fail on that mission, the whole thing might be over sooner than we would hope for."

"You are a real optimist, aren't you?" Pyrrha said, smiling sadly.

"As much as I can be given how things are now." Velvet also allowed herself a slight smile. It was very sad as well, in a way that seemed to convey loss and hopelessness. Pyrrha hoped she would never be able to put up such a smile."Let's go. We don't want our optimism to spread onto other people, do we?"

* * *

The scent of herbal tea overwhelmed Yang's sharpened sense of smell. It was another one in the line of experiences that once would have been completely ordinary, but after having spent a year in one room eating the same food each and every day, it felt almost unreal to the young huntress.

Which was only proper, she supposed, since the things she had just been told didn't seem very realistic either. The woman before her, one that broke her out of the dungeon just a few hours ago, had said more than she could effectively process.

"So, let me get this all straight." Yang said slowly. "Your name is Raven Branwen. You are the leader of a bandit tribe, one that has managed to survive the War almost unscathed. You have a semblance that allows you to create portals to people you have bonded with. And it works on me because... because you are my mother."

"It's all true." The woman said. There was a note of sadness in her voice, though it could have been a deliberate deception on her part. "I have protected my tribe during those dark times, in no small part by making sure that neither side focuses their attention on us. I would have kept that on indefinitely, if not for the pain of seeing you suffer back there."

"If that bothered you so much, why didn't you do something earlier?" Yang growled angrily. "Or better yet, why did you left me and dad in the first place? Assuming you really are my mother."

"You activated your semblance at the age of five after having a haircut." Raven said. "I have been keeping eye on you ever since I left. You can believe me, I am your mother."

Yang did. It was shocking to say the least to meet her biological mother under these sort of circumstances, but it made sense. After all, only someone with some sort of emotional investment in her would ever risk so much to save her. In her crippled state, she was no use to anyone anymore.

Yang wondered how Raven looked as of now. She had her mother's photo engrained in her memory, but the woman might had changed considerably since the time that picture was made. She was Qrow's twin, which meant that she was currently forty-two. Not exactly a ripe old age, but enough for some signs of age to start showing.

Maybe time had been good to Raven and she looked more or less the same as back during her twenties. Maybe the signs of aging already came to her, white strands on the black hair and wrinkles on the once smooth face. Or maybe she had completely changed her appearance since the days of youth, either by choice or, like Yang, as a result of disfiguring injuries.

"I know it might be a lot to take in." Yang's mother said. "But, harsh it may sound, you will have to deal with somehow."

Well that didn't sound very comforting. But then again, what was Yang expecting? The one thing she knew about her mother up until now was that she abandoned her family without leaving any clue as to where to find her. Not exactly a person Yang would expect to be particularly caring.

But then again, she did risk her own life in order to rescue Yang. For all her faults, that had to count for something… right?

Yang didn't know. She had no freaking idea what to make out from all this crap. Maybe it was wise to hold out on making judgments until her mind was a little clearer.

"Alright, I'll… I'll think this all through." Yang said after a rather long pause.

"Excellent." Raven replied. "I will give you time to form your own opinions about all this. But regardless of how you feel about me, I'll have to ask you to stick with us, at least for a time being."

"You want to make up for the lost time?" Yang mustered a small, grim joke.

"No, I mean…" Raven briefly appeared unsure as to what she was supposed to say, but she collected herself quickly. "I believe you are in great danger. Taurus will gladly cross an ocean and a continent in order to get you. I seek to move my tribe to a secure location, give ourselves a better chance of fighting back."

"You think he is that determined? I'm flattered, but I don't really think he likes me all that much. We're enemies, nothing more."

"Believe me, he cares about you quite a lot. Not because of your looks of course – from what I know he already has a mate, and one without a scar running across her face."

Apparently, Raven was the one for brutal honesty.

"But it's more than that." Yang's mother carried on. "Taurus wants to capture or kill me as well and he knows that getting his hands on you would aid him in that goal. I have a… certain power that would be of use to him."

"You mean your portals?" Yang asked. "I don't see why they would be useful to him it they work as you described them. And if he wanted you for your semblance, wouldn't killing you kinda defeat the whole point?"

"It's not my semblance, it's…" Raven sighed. "I suppose I might as well get this out of the way. I can perform magic."

Yang would have blinked in surprise, had she still been able to do that.

"Somehow, I doubt you mean magical tricks." She said after spending a moment to think how to reply.

"Your sense of humor is returning at an alarming rate." Raven stated. "But no, I did not mean the ability to perform tricks. I possess a unique magical power, one that can be transferred from person to person."

"Hold on here." Yang demanded. "Magic is real? We are not talking about dust or aura, but something actually… supernatural?"

"Supernatural might be the wrong word here." Raven replied. "Once upon a time, magic was something everyone could utilize just like we use aura today. Now, only a few people possess any kind of magical ability."

"By 'few' you mean how many?" Yang kept on asking "Is there an entire community of wizards hidden somewhere, or do you literally mean only several people?"

"The latter. To my knowledge only six people in Remnant are capable of using any form of magic. Maybe seven, since I'm not entirely sure what kind of power Taurus is using. I am discounting the gods here, since they left Remnant a while ago."

"Gods?" This time, Yang wasn't even able to form a full-fledged question.

"Right, you don't know about that either." Raven sighed. "You see, the world we live in is merely a..."

Before the woman got to finish her sentence, someone entered the tent. Yang could tell from the quiet rustle of the fabric and a sound of somebody's light steps.

"We are ready to move." Yang recognized the voice from before. Vernal, Raven's second in command. "I'm afraid your presence might be required."

"Of course. I'll be there in a moment." The bandit leader replied. From then on, Yang heard another series of quiet footsteps from Vernal and a tired sigh from Raven.

"I will have to wait with telling you everything." Yang's mother said. "Really, it might be for the best. You'll have some time to process what you already know."

With those words, Raven got up from her place and walked towards the exit. Yang said nothing in response, as she was lost in her own thoughts at the moment.

Just a day before things seemed quite simple. There were the bad guys and the good guys. The bad guys had won. Yang had been beaten and imprisoned. She would be free eventually, all she had to do was to sit in place until her body started to rot.

And now she was both free and alive. It turned out that there was someone strong enough to survive against White Fang and its leader, and that this someone cared about Yang's safety. Probably. Maybe. There was no way to be sure.

Yang remembered the times when not knowing her own mother was her biggest problem. She had spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the mysterious woman and how frustrated she had been with the lack of results. The memories were clear, but it was hard to recall just _how_ it felt to have some purpose in life. Some motivation, some positive desire. It was really ironic that now, after Yang had finally met her mother, it almost didn't seem to matter.

The answers Yang had always wanted were now meaningless. She was never sure what she would feel upon finally meeting her mother, but right now, she only felt confused and hurt. Any satisfaction she might have felt at having reached her goal was lost in a sea of despair.

"Yang?" Raven said before exiting the tent, her voice a little softer now. "I cannot give you all the answers, at least not yet. But if you need to tell me anything or just talk then... I'll be there."

Yang remained silent. She heard her mother walk out of the tent and she was even able to hear her footsteps coming from outside, before they became inaudible due to distance.

If Yang was still able to form tears, perhaps she would cry. But as it was, she just sat the motionlessly, amongst relative silence and an impenetrable darkness.

* * *

Fennec Albain liked his job.

There wasn't much not to like. He always knew that joining the White Fang would lead him to greatness, but he didn't expect that great of a success. He didn't expect to become one of the most important people in Remnant, to represent the global power that the White Fang now was and to rule Menagerie alongside his brother.

It was a rewarding position, both in terms of a payoff and satisfaction. He essentially lived as a king now and had a comparable amount of power, even though the island was technically the domain of High Leader himself. The stress that came with having to manage such a large population was more than balanced out by the pleasure he got from being able to boss others around, especially the human slaves he ordered brought in from Anima.

But it was not always fun. Right now, for example, Fennec seriously considered resigning and hiding on another continent.

It had been recently reported to him that Yang Xiao-Long, an honorary war prisoner and one of their most dangerous adversaries during the War had just broken out of prison. Adam Taurus was at the scene and knew for sure that it happened, so there was no hiding that fact from him. In but a few moments, the High Leader would come to him and expect an explanation for how such failure came to be, which was troubling to say the least, since such an explanation simply didn't exist.

 _Everything_ had been done according to the protocol for handling powerful fighters. The girl had her aura-related abilities disabled, was placed in the best-secured cell and was kept under constant monitoring. She had no way to escape on her own and if anyone from the outside wished to break her out – and that seemed to be the case here – would have been forced to sneak into the prison, placed in the middle of the most densely populated city in Remnant, and somehow bypass the best security money could hire.

And yet, it all wasn't enough. Xiao-Long was now gods knew where and someone had to take the blame for it. That someone being the person directly responsible for managing the security.

There was no doubt Adam would be pissed. From whatever reason, he considered having that huntress alive and imprisoned really important. And if Fennec couldn't manage such an important, yet ultimately simple task, then what good was he? Still, maybe there was still a chance to pass the blame to somebody else.

Before Fennec managed to figure out who exactly he should pass said blame onto, the High Leader marched into his office. He didn't knock or ask permission, because why would he? He was the ultimate power in Menagerie, as well as in Remnant as a whole, and could pretty much do whatever he wanted.

His appearance conveyed that perfectly. With his imposing height, magnificent horns and a now infamous mask, Adam aroused fear through his looks alone and his ever-confident pose only made that impression stronger. Still, while he certainly could kill Fennec at any moment, he didn't seem willing to. He looked irritated, but only moderately and probably not at a fox faunus in front of him. That was a good sign.

"High Leader." Fennec made sure to keep his voice calm as he got up and bowed slightly before his superior. "I assume that you came here because of the recent incident in the state prison, am I correct?"

"Indeed. I wanted to take some steps in response to it."

"Rest assured my lord, the investigation has already begun. I will make sure that the people responsible for that failure are found and suitably..."

"Don't bother." Adam interrupted. "That attack could not have been prevented in any way I'm aware of. The assailant was far too powerful to be stopped by any security you might have had installed."

So, it looked as though the High Leader knew something more about the incident. A surprise, but a welcome one, as it looked like no heads would roll as a punishment for failure. Still...

"I am sorry, my lord, but why haven't you described said assailant to your subordinates? If you do so, it will give us a better chance at tracking down and capturing that individual."

"Since when do I have to report to any of you?" Adam snorted, though fortunately, he didn't appear too angry just yet. "And don't worry, you wouldn't be able to catch her regardless. Even if you managed to track her down, she would just kill whomever you have sent after her and change position."

"Of course. I'm sorry, my lord." The fox faunus quickly said while absorbing the news. Apparently, the assailant was a woman and one Adam considered strong enough to evade capture even from Fennec's own men. The latter information was in equal parts interesting and worrying.

"Relax. I couldn't kill you if I wanted to. Removing someone as important as you would require way too much paperwork for my liking." The High Leader said, smiling as though he just said a friendly joke. Fennec wasn't very amused. "I will need you to take direct control of the island once more. I'm going on a hunt."

"You are going to leave Menagerie?" Fennec asked,

"Indeed. I'm going to take a ship to Mistral. That's where I expect my target to be right now."

Fennec was somewhat scared to ask the next question, but it really needed an answer. "My lord, what makes you believe that said woman is in Mistral? By now she wouldn't have had enough time to board a ship, let alone arrive on the other side of the ocean."

"After leaving the prison building I went to see the reports sent to us from Mistral." Adam explained. "It turns out that our assailant bears a striking resemblance to Raven Branwen, a leader of a bandit tribe that currently resides in central Anima. As for how would she get there so fast, she simply possesses a semblance that makes instantaneous travel such as that possible."

The fox faunus processed the new information. It made a certain amount of sense - kidnapping an important war prisoner seemed like something a bandit would do and while most semblances were limited to enhancing combat abilities, there were quite a few truly useful ones as well.

"I see. What is the reason for which we cannot trust King Lionheart with hunting that bandit down?" Fennec asked, carefully forming his question.

"It's not about Leo. That woman is simply too strong for any regular forces to capture her. I already told you as much."

So, not even Lionheart's men would suffice? The King of Mistral had several dozen huntsmen under his command. How could a mere bandit tribe, even with a strong fighter among them, resist such a force?

Perhaps it was better not to know.

"I understand. I will arrange a ship for you, my lord."

"I appreciate that." Adam replied. "And Fennec? Make sure that the news of my departure don't make it out of Menagerie. Nobody outside the island may know."

"Even the Monarchs?" Fennec raised his eyebrows.

"Especially the Monarchs. I cannot trust Leo to keep his mouth shut and I doubt Tyrian and Cinder would stay out of things as they should. If I told them what was going on, they would surely jump at an opportunity to perform the task themselves and take all the credit."

'Take all the credit.' The High Leader would often use phrases like that, which Fennec found to be rather strange. Adam didn't need to worry about impressing anybody, certainly not the common populace, as pretty much every regular person either loved White Fang and its leader or hated them dearly. Nobody doubted their strength or effectiveness. It was as though Adam wanted to impress someone higher than him, even though there was no such person in Remnant.

Well… not to Fennec's knowledge.

"As for Blake," Adam continued, snapping the fox faunus out of his musings. "She is simply better off not knowing what's going on. She likely has enough things to worry about as it stands, so I will just make up some excuse for my absence. It's for her own good."

 _Trying to convince yourself, I see._ Fennec thought, but didn't say anything of the sort out loud. As everyone in White Fang's upper circle knew, the best way to piss Adam Taurus off was to say something wrong about his girlfriend or how… questionable his treatment of the girl was.

"I concede." The fox faunus replied instead. "I will make sure that nobody outside of the island will hear about your departure, at least until you reach your destination. Is that all?"

"Yes." Adam nodded. "Send me a messenger once the ship is ready. I will be in palace training."

Training? Now? It seemed that Adam really took the matter seriously, that he really considered that bandit and her tribe a threat. Which wasn't a bad thing, since the last thing White Fang needed was to lose its leader due to carelessness, but it made Fennec worry even more. Just how strong was their enemy?

"I will inform you in due time, my lord." Fennec replied formally, not letting on how he felt about the whole thing.

"Thank you." High Leader nodded, after which he turned around and exited the room.

Fennec waited until the footsteps became inaudible and then sighed loudly. Even though he got away without having any blame placed upon him, the situation was still screwed up. He would have to explain to the people why the High Leader was leaving so suddenly and make sure that nobody manages to get that information out of Menagerie. And if Adam, by some insane chance, were to die during his hunt, he would have to manage the fallout somehow. Indeed, his job was quite easy to hate in moments like that.

But as always, whining would bring him no benefit. He had to start working and fixing this damn mess, or at least mitigating all the damage.

Now what would make for a good speech…

* * *

Blake walked into her room, shutting the door behind her. She then stood there for several seconds, her feline ears trying to pick up any sound that indicated another person's presence nearby. Luckily, it appeared as though that part of the building was mostly empty now, which meant that nobody could eavesdrop on the conversation she was just about to have.

Just a few minutes ago, Queen Belladonna was informed that Adam Taurus wanted to talk with her urgently. While normally she would be glad for an opportunity to talk with Adam, the fact that he wanted to converse now of all times was rather worrying. Had he heard about her recent talk with Cinder? Or maybe it was worse than Blake suspected and Salem threatened him right now as opposed to some distant future?

But then again, the timing could have been just a coincidence. In that case, Blake ought to look as innocent as possible. Nothing bad was happening at all, she was just sitting there doing normal, royal things. Adam needed to believe that, more for his own good than anything else.

After fixing her hair out of habit, Blake activated the holographic device. After several seconds have passed, a familiar silhouette appeared before her. Adam was once again in one of his black suits, but looked subtly different than during their last talk. He seemed tired, worn out even, and there was a small crack on his mask. If Blake hadn't know his strength, she would have guessed that he got himself into a fight end it didn't go very well.

"Blake. It's good to see you." Adam smiled, though it seemed somewhat forced. "How are doing out there?"

"I'm alright, I suppose." Blake shrugged to emphasize her point. "The rebels have not made any attacks on the capitol as of recently, so it looks like I'm safe here. What about you though?"

"Me? Don't worry, I'm fine." That reply seemed a little too rushed, causing Blake to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, there is a problem." Adam admitted. "I have to come back to Mistral. There is another uprising there and having me deal with it personally would help to reduce the loses and boost morale."

"I heard Leo dealt with the last one thoroughly. Are our enemies really that stubborn as to keep trying over and over?"

"It looks like it. Maybe this time we'll send them a clear enough message. I'm calling to let you know why I won't be able to call you for the next two weeks or so."

"That's fair, I guess. Are you sure you will be alright there though?"

"Where's that coming from, Blake?" Adam deflected the question. "I managed to stay alive in much worse situations than that. I destroyed a good part of Atlas Military by myself, remember? I won't fall to some slaves with raised pitchforks."

Right. After Salem did... something to him, Adam has become an unstoppable killing machine. Nothing short of a mountain falling on him would be enough to kill him.

But that's what made his unease so worrying. Her partner was acting out of place, and while the uprising in Mistral was a possibility - Cinder _did_ mention that the rebels were getting stronger, if only as an excuse not to give away too much information - it couldn't be the only reason he was so concerned.

Blake didn't want to jump to conclusions but... Cinder's warnings kept making more and more sense.

"Still, I wish you luck. Those pitchforks might still damage your suit."

"I won't let them touch me." Adam said after snorting softly. "You better be careful not to break a nail while signing decrees."

"I think I'll be fine." Blake replied, putting on a forced smile herself.

"Good to know. I'll call you as soon as I get to Mistral, I promise." And with that, Adam Taurus disconnected.

Blake sighed with relief. While the situation was still strenuous, she at least managed to convince Adam that she was safe for now and that she wasn't going to leave Atlas any time soon. Comforted with that knowledge, she exited the room and went back to preparing for a trip to Vale.

The plan was to fly towards the coast with a private airship and then get to Vale with a traditional ship. Travelling by air all the way to Vale wasn't a real option, as without the CCT towers there was no way to consistently navigate. Blake hadn't spent years fighting for her species only to be buried in the ocean because she wanted to save some time.

After reaching the helipad from which she intended to take off, Blake saw that the preparations were apparently almost completed. All her luggage - which was admittedly far larger than it needed to be - had already been loaded into the bullhead she would be travelling in.

That didn't mean that there was nothing left to be done, of course. Preparing an aircraft such as that for a long flight required a lot of effort. Even now, multiple people kept packing things into the vessel, reviewing the machinery and cleaning the exhaust ports. Only one person was not doing any active work and that was because they were busy overseeing the whole thing.

Henry Marigold. A young man in a suit with a shag of blue hair on the top of his head. He was a member of a wealthy Atlesian family that, near the end of the war, decided to aid the White Fang in their conquest of the Kingdom. Marigolds' betrayal granted them exclusion from the purge that followed the Fall of Atlas and allowed them to live quite comfortably under a new regime.

Blake wasn't exactly overjoyed that people such at them had been forgiven so easily, but it was only practical this way. Partially sparing the former upper class had allowed them to enforce order without having to replace everyone on every position. Some humans have proven themselves both capable and loyal to their superiors and Henry, Blake had to admit, was a good example of that. He performed his duties diligently and while it was clear that he had no real love for the White Fang, he was perfectly cooperative on every level, seeing the power dynamic for what it was.

"Queen Belladonna." Upon seeing Blake approach, the blue-haired man bowed before her. "Is there any way I can serve you?"

"You can tell me how the preparations are going." Blake replied bluntly. The groveling didn't really do much to endear Marigold to her. She enjoyed being bowed to, but only when there was some actual respect or fear behind it. That guy acted as he was expected to act, but at the end of the day, he knew he wouldn't be in any danger even if he didn't show servility. Harming or mistreating a human ally like that would send an entirely wrong message.

"I would say fairly well." The boy responded. "We have already loaded all the things you asked for. If there is anything else you would like to take with you, do not hesitate to tell us, as there is still some space remaining.

"I think I have everything I need. I just want to be sure that you will have everything readied by the evening."

"I can promise you that, my Queen." Marigold replied formally, bowing slightly before her.

"I'll be holding you to your word." Blake stated. She received no reply other than another bow, so she ceased talking to the blue-haired boy at once.

She would had stepped back inside the building, but standing in the open while the slight wind was blowing brought her a sort of pleasure. It sounded cliché, sure, but being royalty required her to spend the majority of her time indoors - a minor, but noticeable downside of her position.

Blake walked towards the edge of the platform and gazed upon the city of Atlas. It still bore signs of damage it sustained during the war, but it was nonetheless teeming with life and, frankly, quite breathtaking. Tall buildings made of glass and metal were visible from all directions and stretched far towards the… no, not horizon. Towards the literal edge of the city.

Sometimes, it was easy to forget what exactly Atlas _was._ A city built upon a giant rock, kept floating in the air by the volcanic energies from below Remnant's crust. Conquering this city had been a monumental challenge, but one worth the effort – when the White Fang broke this allegedly impenetrable fortress, the enemy's spirit was essentially broken. Even now it served as a reminder of the strength faunus held, signaling how futile resistance really was.

She didn't feel guilty for leaving this place, even if she was its rightful ruler. Frankly, the people she would leave in control were far more competent than her - Marigold, the slimy human he was, would do just fine at managing the place and Banesaw would have no trouble instilling fear into the subjects. Things would be just fine in Atlas under their watch.

Well, there was one thing...

"Actually," Blake approached Marigold once more. "There is something else I'd like to take with me."

"Of course your highness." The boy replied. "As I said, we still have some free space and we are nowhere near the full weight capacity. What is it exactly?"

"Well, not exactly 'it'. I wish to take Weiss to Vale with me."

Blake immediately felt stupid upon making such a request. It wasn't that she liked Weiss or wanted her around - just about any other servant would be more useful, as the pampered girl didn't have that many practical skills - but if she left the former heiress here in Atlas, chances were Yuma or some other bully would kill her either deliberately or by accident.

"The Schnee?" Marigold asked with surprise, but then quickly amended. "But of course. It is only proper for you to bring some servants of your own, and the more people see the Schnee in your service, the better. It will serve to boost morale."

It seemed like Marigold also didn't care much for Weiss' suffering and quite possibly took satisfaction from it. Blake couldn't quite understand why - it was one thing for the faunus to enjoy seeing a Schnee be humiliated, but for a human? Of a similar social standing as the Schnees nonetheless?

Then again, nobody said that the rich families liked each other very much. The Schnee family probably garnered quite o lot of envy from less prestigious bloodlines, so it made sense for someone like Marigold to despise Weiss, just as it made sense for the faunus, and the poorer humans, and the working class...

Actually, was there anyone who didn't hate the Schnee family?

Sometimes, it felt as though Blake was the only person willing to show Weiss any kind of mercy or sympathy. Was it wrong of her? Was that betraying Ilia's memory, or even the very cause they were all fighting for?

No, not really. She was simply rising above her hatred towards someone as pathetic as a spoiled human brat. She wasn't really showing her mercy anyway, just... pity. The Schnee heiress wouldn't get any special treatment, for better or worse. She would just spend the rest of her life as a slave, just like all the humans who dared get in White Fang's way. That was fair.

"Regardless." Blake said upon realizing that she had been stuck in her thoughts for almost a minute, causing Marigold to look at her with worry. "I still expect everything to be readied before the sun sets down, even with the additional request."

"Your expectations will be met, I assure you so." The human said. He didn't bow before Blake this time, likely seeing that she didn't really appreciate the gesture, but he nodded his head politely.

Blake turned around and marched back into the building. There was still some stuff for her to take care of – orders to give, threats to make and things to check on personally. Besides, doing boring things like that was, in this case, far preferable to doing nothing at all. The stress almost made sitting idly into a form of torture.

In a way, Blake felt just as she had felt for most of the War. There was the danger and there was a way to avert it. She wasn't just playing a part of a wise queen, she was actually taking action to protect the people she cared about. If Cinder was right and Salem was a threat to the White Fang, then Blake had yet another war awaiting her, if one fought differently against far stranger opponents.

Hopefully it would end up being a victory as well.

* * *

Ruby walked through the moon-lit glade, Zwei following a step behind her and Crescent Rose stripped to her belt. It felt strange to have a real weapon at her side again, after not having fought or even trained in well over two years. In a way, it made her feel more secure and more anxious at the same time.

She had spent the entire war and the occupation that followed looking after herself and avoiding trouble. She had successfully avoided all the danger, and yet she had still been constantly afraid, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to defend herself in case danger found her. Now she had a way to protect herself, but was planning on specifically looking for trouble.

It seemed as though being completely safe just wasn't an option for her. That was just the kind of person Ruby was, for better or worse.

Once she reached the treeline on the edge of the glade, Ruby sat down on the grass. Zwei lied down next to her, seemingly hoping for some cuddling from his owner, but Ruby couldn't humor him at the moment. She had something else to focus on.

She forced her mind to display the happy memories from her childhood, all the games she played with her sister and uncle, her time in Signal and the friends she had made there, her father's warm embrace…

And then she reached for the bad memories. How she felt when she was told her dad died defending Vale. When Yang left for Atlas to never return. All her time sitting in an empty hut as all her friends and countless other people fought and died in a bloody war.

There were older memories there as well – how she missed her mother even years after her death, the pain she felt as the assassin's blade pierced her skin and muscle. All these memories and more filled Ruby with intense negativity, a mixture of fear, guilt and sadness that some beings would find very appetizing.

Less than a minute had passed when she heard the growling.

A large Beowulf emerged from between the trees. Another one followed, and then another one, and then another. Some of them had white masks covering their heads, others seemed as though they were made out of pure darkness. But none of the monsters appeared to be an alpha, or even a particularly old specimen.

They were all cannon fodder.

Ruby waited until the first Beowulf came a little closer, before jumping back to her feet and activating Crescent Rose in one, fluid movement. Without even using her semblance, Ruby rushed straight at the enemy. She ducked, avoiding the razor-sharp claws of the beast, before cutting its head off with the crescent blade of the giant scythe.

Another Beowulf attacked, not alarmed by its companion's gruesome fate. It jumped at Ruby hoping to pierce her body with its bloodied teeth. This prompted the girl to activate her unnatural speed and instantly move out of the way, leaving only several rose petals behind her. Before the monster had time to realize what had just happened, let alone launch another attack, it was cleaved in half by yet another strike of the deadly weapon.

Ruby smiled. Just as she had expected, the passage of time did not manage to took away her skill, at least not in its entirety. At the very least, she could still use her favorite weapon to some decent effect.

Other Grimm kept coming at her, not showing any fear or hesitation. They were all primitive and young, not intelligent enough to recognize the deadly threat in front of them. They formed a semi-circle around the young girl, hoping to utilize the only tactic simple enough for them to comprehend.

Ruby's smile only broadened. There would come a time when she would have to fight against truly terrifying enemies. Not Grimm as she had once thought, but against people smarter, stronger and more ruthless than her. She would struggle, there was no doubt regarding that. One day, in all likeliness, she would fall in battle. But it was not this day.

It was no day at all, since it was almost midnight. For that matter, it was possible that there would be no day for her to fall and she would die in the night. Since it was a bit harder to fight in the dark, it was actually more likely that she would fall one _night,_ especially since according to all the movies, most climactic battles took place during the nighttime. Then again, the good guys won most of these battles, so maybe…

Ruby had to snap out of her musings in order to dodge another set of claws. The beast before her followed through with another strike, which unfortunately wasn't faster than a scythe which sliced the Beowulf in two.

Anyways, Ruby would not fall that night. Not to a bunch of pathetic Beowolves. For her, it was an easy fight, one that reminded her of the old times in all the good ways.

And she would enjoy it.

* * *

 **And here you go. The next chapter will be happening after a short time skip so that everyone can arrive at their stations. I'm still not sure who will I focus on, since it is kind of hard to manage all these different characters and subplots.**

 **Is that how writing Volume 4 felt like? I have some newly found respect for Rooster Teeth. But then again, they did make Volume 5 right after that, so it somewhat evens out.**


	11. Arrivals

_The sky was clear, and yet not quite. In place of clouds there were Grimm, enough of them to black out the sun. Griffons, Nevermores and Lancers, all circling in the sky and searching for prey. There were some airships flying through the sky as well, some fighting the airborne Grimm, while others only attempted to escape the slaughter. It didn't truly matter, since the real battle took place on the ground._

 _On the blood-stained grounds of Beacon Academy, The White Fang was slowly advancing towards the castle. Their opposition was few in numbers, consisting only of a handful of teachers and several dozen students, but all of them were powerful fighters, capable of killing multiple faunus soldiers before succumbing to their demise. They had quality over White Fang's quantity... with several exceptions._

 _Blake dodged an overhead strike and managed to regain her footing quickly enough to launch a counterattack immediately. Sadly, her opponent — a short, heavily armed boy with a gunblade as his weapon — also wasn't slow and managed to block the faunus' strike. The two combatants entered a blade lock, both hoping to overpower the other one._

 _Feeling somewhat threatened, Blake looked towards her mentor. Conveniently, Adam had just finished off his opponent – some girl that was now bleeding out on the grass – and was free to assist his partner in her fight. He refused to that, however, and instead only stepped back and sheathed his sword. The message was clear – he wanted Blake to manage that confrontation herself._

 _Knowing that there was no point in arguing – and no time either – Blake disengaged, hoping that her opponent would lose his balance or maybe even fall down. Unfortunately, he turned out to be more professional than that, assuming a defensive position once more instead._

 _Blake quickly considered her options. She could switch to defense as well, waiting for the huntsman to attack once more and possibly open himself up for a counterstrike, but while that would be a safe and likely effective tactic, it wouldn't be very impressive. At that moment, Blake wanted to show Adam that she had learned something, that she could do more than just fight safely._

 _So instead of staying on the defense, the faunus loaded a small cartridge into her weapon – fire dust, provided by Cinder as part of her gift to the White Fang. Blake still didn't like that woman very much, but she did appreciate her contributions to the cause, including the dust provided by her and Torchwick. Blake generally tried not to rely on dust too much, since it was still a valuable resource not to be wasted, but that seemed like a worthy occasion. The most important battle the Fang had ever took place in deserved to be fought with maximal strength._

 _The huntsman saw what the faunus was doing and, apparently assuming that she was about to perform a ranged attack, charged at her with his blade in hand. Blake ran over to meet him, but instead of striking him outright, she activated her semblance and used her clone to propel herself upwards. Since the clone's substance was now mixed with fire dust from the cartridge, it immediately exploded into flames, instead of simply fading away._

 _Blake's opponent was clearly surprised by this. In what was probably an involuntary reaction, he raised his free hand to shield his eyes from the heat. As he did that, the cat fauns landed behind him and, without wasting even a fraction of a second, grabbed young man by the shoulder. She drew herself closer to her opponent, practically hugging him and, refusing to give him a chance to turn around or react in any meaningful way, pressed the blade against his throat._

 _There were probably some ways for the huntsman to react, even in such an awful situation. He could have tried to wrestle Blake's arm away from his throat, maybe to fire his gunblade despite his inconvenient position. Alas, the young man was dazed by the explosion of fire and panicked from having a blade pressed to his throat and could do nothing more than shield himself with aura in hopes it would save him. The protective energy held out for about two seconds before it went away in a flash and…_

 _Blood covered Gambol Shroud as its blade pierced the skin and cut into the gorge, stopping only a bit short of outright decapitating the student on the spot. The young man made twitched and choked for several seconds, before freezing still, either dead or as good as dead. Only then did Blake drop his body on the ground and sheathed her weapon. She looked towards Adam who, in response, smiled approvingly._

" _Another foe defeated." He sounded satisfied, or maybe even impressed. "You are growing stronger. Those children here might be skilled, but they lack your intent to kill."_

 _This statement caused Blake to feel a variety of emotions at the same moment. Hearing Adam praise her felt great, it made her feel proud and validated, but the way he phrased that… Was the 'intent to kill' what made her special? Was it really something to be proud of?_

 _Yes. In a situation such as that, it really was something to be proud of. The man she had just killed… she didn't want him dead for the sake of it, he was just a necessary casualty in the war they waged. He made his choice when he decided to fight against the White Fang and it cost him his life. Regrettable, but unavoidable._

" _Is something wrong?" Adam approached Blake, apparently having noticed her distress._

" _It's nothing." Blake dismissed him, not wanting to waste breath talking about her silly doubts. "Just… let's get moving. Our brothers and sisters are dying out there, we shouldn't waste any time."_

" _Actually, I believe there won't be many more casualties." Adam replied. "We are nothing short of victorious already."_

 _As to confirm his words, an explosion shook the air from a far. A quick look confirmed Blake's immediate suspicions – the CCT tower, the prime target of their assault of Beacon, was toppled in a flash of fire._

" _It looks like Cinder was successful." Adam said, without much emotion in his voice. He, similarly to Blake, didn't like the Fall Maiden very much, but still rooted for her success as an ally._

 _Fall Maiden. Cinder wouldn't reveal her plans until very recently, likely so that her faunus allies wouldn't have time to take advantage of that knowledge. Regardless, it appeared as though there were those incredibly powerful fighters called 'Maidens' – the similarity to the popular fairy tale might or might not have been accidental – and Cinder had managed to partially rob one of them of her power. She therefore decided to infiltrate Beacon, sabotage its defenses, launch an attack with White Fang's assistance and, in the midst of all the chaos, steal the remaining half of the Fall Maiden's power._

 _Now that she had seemingly succeeded on that front, the battle was as good as won indeed. Cinder was extremely powerful before, enough so to threaten the entire White Fang on her own. Now that she was a full-fledged Maiden, there was no force in Vale that could feasibly stop her. Her powers wouldn't protect them against the Atlesian fleet once it arrived to retake the city, but by then they would have already retreated, having sent their message and crippled their enemies considerably._

 _The first step on a road to salvation. Or so would Adam say at least. It didn't feel right, working with humans to topple the Kingdoms didn't feel like the right path… but it had to be. It was the path they all chose, it was all they had._

" _Let us move on." Adam said, looking towards the distance. "There are probably still some survivors to be finished off."_

 _With these words, the bull faunus headed towards the castle. Blake followed him, but not before giving one last look to the huntsmen she'd just killed, as well as the other corpses lying on the grass._

 _Sacrifices. Necessary, unavoidable, willing, but still somewhat regrettable. Blake couldn't help but wonder whether the goals she pledged herself to were worth such a price. By the end of the day, there would be thousands of dead throughout the city, most of which were never directly involved in combat of any sorts. It felt horrible, unfair and just so... sad._

 _But that's the way it had to be. Humans had shown time and time again that they would not embrace peaceful change. If not for the White Fang, the faunus would just keep on being oppressed until someone else decided to sort things out violently. War was unavoidable and it was better for it to happen sooner than later._

 _Someone would have to make that sacrifice eventually. Might as well be them._

 _Having reassured herself, Blake turned around and followed her mentor towards the battlefield. The destruction of the tower must had caused the defenders to feel even more hopeless than before, as the swarms of airborne Grimm began descending towards the surface sensing what soon would become their prey..._

Someone shook Blake's shoulder, causing her to wake up. She lazily opened her eyelids and, after her eyes adjusted to the light, looked over her surroundings.

She was currently lying in bed, in a room she recognized as her cabin on the ship she rented out. As in, rented the entire ship — nothing less would be appropriate for someone of her current status. Everything in the room was arranged exactly like she remembered it, except for the girl who was now standing over Blake and looked at her with visible fear.

"Weiss." Blake groaned. "Why would you wake me up like that?"

"You told me to wake you once we arrived in Vale, my Queen." The girl replied. She seemed scared of her mistress, maybe even more than usually. Which was really saying something.

"Have we?" Blake stood up from the bed. "You did well then. I should probably get dressed and move out. I'd hate to keep Cinder waiting… not that I'm afraid of her or anything."

"Never said you were." Weiss replied hurriedly.

"Calm down. And help me dress, I'm not going out to Vale in pajamas." Blake replied, to which Weiss bowed slightly, before departing to bring some fitting clothes. Blake knew her intentions, as it was far from the first time they had been going through this routine.

During several days of travel, Weiss became a go-to servant for Blake when it came to tasks like dressing or hair brushing. There was a term for it… lady's maid? The one who would follow her mistress everywhere, including on travels?

Regardless of the terminology, Blake found it somewhat weird that she came to rely for a Schnee as a servant like that. If anyone asked, she would say that she just enjoyed seeing her former enemy humiliated like that or that she didn't care which human got to serve her personally, but neither would be true. Blake didn't think of Weiss as a random human, she recognized the girl as the heiress to the company which tormented her kind and as the person who personally killed her best friend… but at the same time, she struggled to feel any real malice towards her either.

Which was weird. Bizarre, even. People tended to enjoy seeing their enemies beaten and Blake was no exception. She took enjoyment from seeing humans brought to submission and she felt proud to have contributed to it, but seeing Weiss suffer… it brought no pleasure, just pity.

Maybe it was the way the girl reacted to everything. Most humans, even enslaved ones, had at least some semblance of pride left. When insulted, they would rarely talk back, but would at least look angry or offended. Weiss was far past that point. She didn't care about the insults offered, and not in a "bigger woman" kind of way – she literally didn't care as though she didn't even register them. Spitting her in the face would have the same effect as commenting on the weather. Just a routine part of the conversation. There were many ways for Blake to debase Weiss even further, but what was the point of abusing someone if they wouldn't even care about that.

If Blake wanted to actually hurt Weiss, she would have to cause her physical harm or maybe bring up her past trauma somehow. But she wasn't one for pointless cruelty, so that wasn't going to happen. Weiss would be safe until she attempted some sort of resistance that would warrant punishment, which wasn't going to happen given her mental state.

Instead, they were just going to play their respective parts indefinitely, in this awkward mistress-servant relationship they had going. While Blake had to admit it amusing, she was not entirely comfortable with that arrangement.

At least Weiss performed her duties well enough. While she would occasionally break something or generally mess up, she tried her best, not that her current role left her much place for error anyway. She fetched three set of clothes, from which Blake chose the most casual-looking one — she didn't feel a need to impress Cinder of all people. From then on it was the standard routine of putting these clothes on, which might have been a pain few months ago, but by now Blake was used to formal dresses that took close to an hour to put on. Few minutes spent dressing in a less formal, yet elegant dress she had chosen didn't seem like that great of a loss.

With that done, Blake decided she was ready to head out. She commanded Weiss to follow her out of the ship, grabbing two guards on her way to the exit. There was no need for a stronger defense — even if there was someone in Vale willing and able to kill her, they would not be able to achieve that with someone as powerful as Cinder standing in their way. Unless Cinder willed Blake dead, in which case there was no stopping her.

That thought unsettled Blake. She consoled herself by remembering that Cinder was still trying to cooperate with the rest of the cabal, that she couldn't do anything overtly meant to harm her fellow monarch. For all Blake did not enjoy working under Salem, she had to give her mistress one thing — she cared about keeping her faction intact, even if that meant punishing her most trusted lieutenants.

Eventually, Blake and her little escort walked onto the deck and below the night sky. The moon was bright, allowing even someone with primitive human vision to see clearly, so Blake could perceive that the entrance ramp had already been drawn open for her to access the land. That's where she headed towards, the others following behind her and struggling not to trip over something.

Even still, it didn't take them long to leave the ship and step onto the concrete of the docks. There were several ships docked nearby, but there were few people within eye's reach, nobody required to work at that late of an hour it seemed. That made it impossible not to notice the few people who were present, especially considering who those people were.

Cinder fall, the Queen of Vale, was standing there in a red dress consistent with her usual sense of fashion. As always, she looked absolutely beautiful, her perfect form in contrast with the untidy ugliness of her surroundings. Her eyes seemed to glow gently in the darkness, either the effect of the power the Fall Maiden possessed, or just the visual effect of her golden eyes contrasting the surrounding darkness.

Cinder had a person on each side, two people Blake knew all too well. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, an assassin and a thief, a pair that served Cinder long before her name became known. Cinder had a custom of keeping the two of them near, so their presence was no surprise, but Blake still found herself a little unnerved at having to killers look straight at her, their faces betraying no emotions.

"I rejoice to see you, old friend." Cinder said as Blake approached her. Her face expressed joy at seeing a person she described as a friend, which was far creepier than the apparent lack of emotion the other two showed. It was a proof of Cinder's control over what she allowed others to perceive, that she could likely imitate any emotion in any situation.

"Likewise." Blake replied shortly. She could not bring herself to respond to Cinder's greeting in kind, so that was the most politeness she would be able to show. "I didn't expect to see you in a welcoming committee like that."

"Maybe I just couldn't wait to see you?" Cinder replied innocently. "Don't tell me you didn't look forward to our meeting as well."

"I am glad to finally arrive, but I'm still not sure why I'm here. Care to explain?"

"Here in the cold? I would rather not. How about we head for my castle instead?" Cinder nodded towards a building in the distance. Once it would have been called Beacon Academy, but apparently it was simply Cinder's castle now.

Not that it would be very useful as a school after it was nearly destroyed during the war. Blake recalled those events once more, all the bloodshed and destruction that she sometimes wished she could forget. She forced these memories away, focusing on her surroundings instead.

"I suppose we might."She replied and, after moment's thought, turned to her bodyguards if they could be called that. "You can return to the ship. I will be safe from now on."

The two men nodded as one, turned around and marched back towards the vessel. Sending them back was a sign of trust, though a fairly meaningless one, since Cinder knew how little of a difference a regular man or two would make in a potential struggle. Still, maybe she would at least appreciate Blake making the effort to look trustful.

"Wonderful." Cinder remarked. "Will you take your... maid with you?"

Blake turned towards Weiss who, as per usual, stood there quietly trying not to draw too much attention to herself. The question was a good one, since Blake wasn't sure what to do with the girl. Would she be safer there in Beacon than back on the ship? Should Blake be even concerned about that? Would she need any help from that servant of hers?

Screw that, she wasn't going into Cinder's fortress alone.

"She's coming." Blake nodded. "I got used to her following me around."

"Then let's not waste any more time." Cinder said as she turned around. "The streets are dangerous at this hour. You will be safer in my chambers."

Blake followed, though she still didn't believe that last part.

* * *

The night was dark, the shattered moon not making up for how few lights were shining in the entire Vale. Ruby remembered the times where, at this hour, the city would be bustling with activity, making the stars invisible next to its own luminosity. Crowds of people would roam the streets in numbers only slightly smaller than during the day, some of them attending work but most wishing to experience all the attractions Vale had to offer. Those times were long gone, ended by war and not restored by the tyranny that followed.

And it was exactly why Ruby was here.

Alright, it wasn't the direct reason. She wasn't about to take her homeland back just yet, not alone and not this night. But she was hoping to help one day, and that's why she was here. To check if her weeks of training, of relearning the skills she had almost forgotten was worth the effort. She left Zwei at the apartment, not needing his help, but took his other darling with her. Crescent Rose, her personal bringer of destruction, was hidden under her cloak ready to be activated.

And it seemed as though she would soon have a reason to do just that.

Ruby saw several figures walk onto the narrow, darken street she was occupying. Few people, let alone groups would have a reason to be up so late at night. Perhaps they were criminals, in which case they could potentially make for a target — though Ruby wasn't sure criminals deserved to be beaten up anymore, not in times so tough crime was often the only option. Luckily, judging from the suits they wore, these guys were not regular criminals.

"You there!" The tallest of the group of men, likely a leader, shouted at Ruby while approaching her. "You are out at a curfew. Explain yourself."

Ruby did not reply. She simply stood there, backed against the wall, as a group of men with batons at their sides came closer. She was hoping the militants would arrive and it didn't seem as though she would end up disappointed.

"Oh, I get it." The tall militant said once he could see Ruby clearly. "Prostitution is illegal and would only add to your punishment. But we have a custom of working these things out."

Ruby smiled under her nose. Of course, now that huntsmen and huntresses were not a common sight and nobody was in the mood to party, there was only one reason for a strangely-dressed young girl to roam the streets at night. One that the poor bastards were aware of.

The militant must have noticed Ruby's smile and taken it the wrong way, for he stepped even closer and drew an arm towards the girl. The look of smugness on his face was instantly replaced with surprise as Ruby grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. He landed in a nearby garbage container — Ruby didn't plan that part, but she was glad it happened like this. Added a bit of comedy to the situation.

Other militants did not react right away, too surprised and confused, or perhaps simply unsure what they should do. Ruby wasn't about to give them the time to think, attacking right away instead.

The Crescent Rose struck two grunts right as it unfolded. Ruby intentionally struck with the blunt side, not aiming to necessarily kill, though the force alone was enough to send the men crashing into the wall and likely breaking a few bones in the process. Oh well.

There were now only three militants remaining and they finally gathered the courage to enter the fight. Two of them drew batons and ran towards Ruby, though their uncertainty and fear was obvious from the way they moved. The third one drew a handgun, which made him a bit more of a threat in a narrow alley such as this, but Ruby hoped he wouldn't dare fire at his coworkers as they were in range.

Deciding that the melee fighters ought to be dealt with first, Ruby jumped backwards as to place the goons back within her reach. Her opponents had a choice between trying to step inside her guard before she could attack, backing out of the way or freezing in indecision for a moment. They picked the worst options and earned a wide strike for it, one that had them join their comrades on the ground.

The last militant pointed his gun at Ruby in a rather hopeless effort to bring his opponent down. Ruby could have tried dodging sideways, or she could have simply tanked the shot with her yet unscratched reserves of aura, but she chose a different method. One that would allow her to test more than just her speed or endurance.

She ran towards the man in black, in straight line and without bothering to make the shot any more difficult. As the militant pulled the trigger, Ruby reached deep inside her, to focus her aura in a way unique to her. She could feel her body turn into rose petals, in this weird way that she wouldn't be able to describe to anyone else if asked. A split second later, after the bullet passed through the swarm of petals she reformed into her fleshy body once more, only a few steps separating her from her opponent now.

She then stopped. She ceased her attack, deactivated her and stood there, staring at her opponent.

The militant froze. He stood still for a moment, a tall man staring downwards at a girl who had just beaten all his companions to unconsciousness. Finally, after a few moments of thinking, he made the only choice that seemed reasonable.

"I give up." He announced.

Ruby smiled. She approached the man, causing him to flinch, but instead of attacking the guy she simply passed beside him. He looked at her with surprise, but didn't attempt to attack her again, not even once her back was turned. He was scared alright.

Ruby knew that leaving one of her opponents alive and conscious was not a... classically smart move. But it was exactly what she was going for. Soon this guy, and maybe the others if they haven't suffered any kind of brain damage, would report to the superiors that there was some girl with aura beating up militants in Vale. But by then, she wouldn't be in Vale anymore and they would end up searching for her in vain.

There was only so much she could do alone. She was no superhero and she wouldn't abolish an evil regime on her own. But there were people who dedicated themselves to just that and she bet they could use some help.

Ruby marched down the street and towards the wall that marked the border of the city, or at least its most patrolled part. Getting out wasn't that hard even for a regular person with how lousy the guards were, and for her it would be a piece of cake. Then she would have to roam the wilderness for a while, which would be a less tasty piece for sure with how many Grimm were around, but she would manage it somehow. Survive until she reached her target, the infamous Mountain Glenn.

She had to contact the Resistance.

* * *

The sun was eclipsed by clouds, its shine barely visible through the grey ceiling. There was no threat of rain anytime soon, as the clouds weren't heavy enough yet, but the weather was still far from perfect.

Jaune found this somewhat annoying. He was currently trudging through a mountain's side, having walked a narrow path for several hours now. He expected the weather to fit the mood, either by having sun shine down and illuminate the mountains' peaks or by having rain fall and make the struggle of travelling through such terrain more pronounced. Either of these would make their journey harder, but it would also add some flavor to it. It would make the circumstances feel more like something out of a story than just cold, harsh reality.

"Alright gang, we are almost there." Sun announced loudly, breaking Jaune out of his musings.

"You said the same thing an hour ago." Velvet remarked. It seemed as though the mountain trek made the girl somewhat more grumpy than usual.

"Well yeah, but that was a different kind of almost. Almost as in few miles away. Now is the real almost." Sun explained, before turning his gaze towards something in the distance and pointing to it with his finger. "Hey look, here you go!"

Indeed, upon glancing in that direction Jaune saw a large building standing on a rock-covered plateau. It was built mostly from wood by the looks of it, but must have been quite sturdy to endure the harsh conditions of such an altitude. It didn't look like a military base, more like a monastery if Jaune had to take a wild guess. But the way it was situated, alone in the middle of nowhere, left no doubt that it was indeed what they had been looking for.

"It's not exactly how I imagined it." Pyrrha said, catching up to the rest of the vanguard. "For something that used to be White Fang's central base, this building seems… unimpressive."

"There is a reason they left this place." Jaune remarked. "Back in the old days that was the most White Fang could afford to build for themselves and it was probably enough. Now they have other, more secure places to serve as bases, so this structure doesn't have much worth. Is my reasoning correct?"

"You're asking me?" Sun seemed surprised. "I was here before, but I don't know the whole history behind the place. Never bothered to ask. Maybe the boss will tell you more."

"Ghira Belladonna." Jaune nodded, remembering the very reason they came to this mountain range. "Are you sure he is still here? The White Fang might have forced him to flee. It's not like the location is secret to them."

"He didn't intend to move out when I last saw him." Sun shrugged. "And if he did, well, we won't find out until we go there, will we?"

"Right." Jaune agreed, before turning back to face the rest of the caravan. "Keep moving. We have less than an hour left from the looks of it."

There was no response from the soldiers save for a couple murmurs and some less-than-enthusiastic salutes. Jaune couldn't exactly blame his men for the lack of vigor, as they were tired from the long march they had to endure.

Their force was small, but hardly a weak one. While a dozen soldiers could be overwhelmed by sufficiently large pack of Grimm, the same couldn't be said about four huntsmen who were leading the procession. Thus far they had been able to kill any creature that dared challenge them, not that there were that many. These days, most Grimm were lurking just outside of cities' walls, drawn by intense negativity but not quite able to penetrate the defenses.

Luckily, that remained a case on that particular mountain as well. Aside from some small Nevermores flying high up in the air, there were no Grimm in sight and nothing that could threaten the expedition in any way, aside from the steep slope they still had to be wary of. After little over half an hour of walking, the group had finally reached its destination.

Only now, seeing the building up close, Jaune realized how huge the building truly was. Wide and tall, it could likely house an entire military battalion in its interior, if only by cramping the soldiers tightly. It still didn't resemble a military base though – it simply wasn't made for withstanding a siege or assault, as evidenced by its large entrance protected only by wooden double door.

That was not to say that the place was completely undefended. The entrance itself was guarded by two armored figures, each carrying a spear in their arms. They were both faunus, a young man with what appeared to be donkey ears and a girl with a set of horns. They approached the newly arrived group as it neared the entrance, their weapons not yet aimed but ready to be utilized at any moment.

Jaune gestured his mean not to raise their own weapons, not that it was necessary. Everyone knew they hadn't come to this place looking for a fight and besides, two spearmen was hardly enough to scare anyone who had Specialist Nikos on their side.

"Who approaches and with what intentions?" The male faunus asked, his eyes jumping from one visitor to another. He seemed wary of so many armed humans, but seeing Sun at Jaune's side seemed to put him at ease.

"We represent the Valean Resistance Front." Jaune replied, assuming a serious and somewhat formal tone. "We are on a diplomatic mission and we had received an invitation from the Chieftain of Menagerie, instructing us to arrive at this location."

"See, I told you I would succeed!" Sun said, much less formally. "I was told to bring General Arc here, and there he is. I am the best messenger out there!"

"Yes Sun, you are great." The horned faunus sighed, confirming that Sun was recognizable around there and that the group would not be treated as enemies. That were some good news. "But can you please leave boasting for later?"

"Sun deserves a chance to brag about a little." Jaune said, also assuming more casual tone. "He led us all the way here, all the way from Vale and without failure."

"Unless you count that time two days ago." Velvet murmured, reminding the group of that unfortunate incident that forced them to fight a giant Ursa in its cave.

"In any case, we are relieved to finally arrive." Pyrrha stepped forwards. "Are welcome inside, or are we to wait here for the time being?"

"We were already given our instructions for your arrival." The donkey faunus replied. "General Arc can go in, provided he want to represent the Resistance himself. Bodyguards can go in as well, though we would appreciate not bringing the entire military unit inside."

"I understand." Jaune nodded. "And yes, I wish to represent the Resistance. I would like Specialist Nikos to come with me, if possible."

The two guards looked at Pyrrha, and then at each other with a trace of nervousness. It seemed as though they knew who Specialist Nikos was, and thus were aware that letting her inside was no safer than allowing an entire division of military to pass through. Eventually though, they nodded in approval.

"I will lead you to the Chief. Slate, go ahead and inform everybody of what's going on." The horned faunus said to her partner, who in turn walked towards the door. The girl herself also began approaching the entrance, though at a slower pace.

Jaune turned towards the rest of the group and gave them a reassuring nod, which also served as they indication to stay back for the time being. He then followed the guard, with Pyrrha at his side and his weapons ready to be drawn in the worst case scenario.

As they passed through the double door, Jaune and Pyrrha were greeted to the sight of a dimly-lit corridor. It was to be expected – since the facility was far from any energy lines, the only way to lit the place was through candles and braziers. It was somewhat unsettling, but Jaune chalked it up as yet another example of the scenery not matching the mood correctly. The owner of the place was a benevolent leader who was willing to aid the rebels in their fight.

Right?

As he was led further into the depths of the structure, Jaune paid attention to any guard that passed nearby, and there were quite a few of those. None of them was particularly well-armed though; Spears were the most common melee weapons and the most advanced piece of armament anyone had were handguns, ones that likely wouldn't be able to penetrate even a standard vest and that could only wear out a warrior's aura after dozens of shots. It wouldn't be an understatement to say that Jaune's group could slaughter everyone in the building, even if Pyrrha decided to stay out of the fight.

This thought caused Jaune to feel both more calm and more worried at the same time, weird as it was. On one hand, the apparent lack of firepower on the faunus' side meant that there was little threat from them, even if they decided to turn on their guests for whatever reason. On the other hand, it also put the worth of Belladonna's forces in question. Jaune hadn't expected to see any vast army upon his arrival, but if the Chieftain's guards were armed worse than an average White Fang recruit… it didn't paint a promising picture.

Nonetheless, they hadn't crossed an ocean for nothing. Even if partaking in that journey was a mistake, Jaune would talk to Menagerie's Chieftain and milk the situation for all it was worth. Even if it wasn't worth all that much.

Jaune forced himself to forget his doubts as they approached another guarder door. Two guards in full armor, short spears and pistols ready to be drawn, which was to say they were armed better than most of their comrades. They didn't react visibly to the new arrivals, either because they were just warned that there would be visitors coming, or because they were just that disciplined.

"Everything should be arranged by now, I think." The horned faunus said as she stopped before the door. "The Chieftain will await you there. Just make sure you show the proper respect."

"We would not slight our hosts with disrespect, much less someone as noble as your chieftain." Pyrrha said, nodding her head.

"Yes, certainly." Jaune confirmed, immediately cursing himself for his lack of more formal words. It was somewhat embarrassing that after spending years in a leadership role, he was still less versed in flowery language than Pyrrha. He could do well enough in most situations, but sometimes he would fail to find the right words in time. Hopefully his host wouldn't mind.

"More importantly though, try to avoid personal topics." The guard added more quietly. "It won't help you or anyone else to open old wounds."

Jaune nodded, fully understanding what the girl meant. Many people these days preferred to avoid talking about their past lives and the people they've lost and a diplomatic meeting was not the place for this sort of talk regardless.

There were no further problems before entering. The guards didn't have anything more to say and, somewhat curiously, wouldn't take away their guests' weapons. Either they had trust in their good intentions or they correctly assumed that someone like Pyrrha could slaughter everyone in the fortress even without her weapon directly at hand. Or perhaps both. Again, there was no way to tell. In any case, they had opened the door and allowed Jaune and Pyrrha to pass through.

What welcomed them had to be the largest room in the entire building and the largest one Jaune had seen in a while. It wasn't particularly wide, but very long and with a ceiling hanging far above their heads. It was dark, lacking any windows and only being lit by the fires that cast long shadows over the floor. Making the feeling of emptiness stronger yet, there was only one person in the entire chamber. A giant of a man, or rather a faunus, that Jaune suspected was Ghira Belladonna himself.

Jaune wasn't sure to expect from the chieftain, knowing only that he was a middle-aged faunus with feline ancestry, yet somehow Belladonna met all the expectations perfectly. He looked just as a leader should — tall and muscular, smooth features, a short beard and a certain air of authority around him. At the same time, he did not look anything like the military officers Jaune had worked with over the past years, as instead of a uniform he wore a violet cloak which exposed his hairy chest. He was initially sat before the table, but upon hearing the two humans enter the room, he stood up showing off his impressive height and powerful posture.

"I see you arrived at last." He said, the deep tone of his voice matching his posture perfectly. "I was worrying you wouldn't be able to reach me, or that my message haven't reached you at all."

"Sun performed his duties excellently in all regards." Jaune replied, careful to stick to the formal tone. "I assume I'm talking to Chieftain Belladonna?"

"It is a title I once held, yes." The faunus nodded. His expression turned solemn for a split second, but then he smiled in a way that almost didn't feel forceful. "And you must be General Arc. It is an honor to greet you on my doorstep."

"The honor is all mine." Jaune bowed ever so slightly, feeling it an appropriate gesture of respect. Pyrrha curtsied gently at the same moment, reminding Jaune that his companion probably warranted an introduction. "This is Specialist Nikos. She volunteered to accompany me here and I hoped bringing another person in wouldn't be much of a problem."

"Of course not." Ghira replied, though he looked somewhat worried as he looked at Pyrrha. Perhaps even scared. Given the girl's reputation as flawless killing machine, such reaction was rather understandable. "Please sit down, both of you. We have some matters to discuss."

Jaune did as requested, taking his seat on the opposite side of the table to Ghira. Pyrrha sat down just a few steps away, in a seemingly relaxed manner, but there was no doubt she could jump to her feet and unsheathe her weapon at moment's notice. Ghira sat back down as well, in a place where he could clearly see both Jaune and Pyrrha at the same time. Though he didn't appear hostile, he certainly was careful.

"I would offer you tea or coffee, but I'm afraid we are devoid of both." The Chieftain said. "We didn't took much luxuries as we departed from Menagerie and we found this place lacking in everything but weapons and materials."

"This place..." Jaune looked around the hall, still amazed at how huge and impractical it was. "It was the White Fang's main base of operation back in the day, wasn't it?"

"It was." Ghira nodded. "It was the place from which Sienna Khan commanded her subordinates before Adam Taurus took over. I assume you are familiar with the story?"

"I heard a lot, but I'm not sure how much of it I can believe." Jaune replied honestly. He never bothered to pay attention to such things before the war and currently there was no differentiating between an accurate version of history and shameless propaganda coming from either side. "I would like a full story, just for the sake of clarity."

"Do you believe I, of all people, can give you an honest account of the events?"

"You know more about the White Fang than I or any of my men and have no interest in glorifying them. So yes, I trust you more than anyone else on this one."

"I feel flattered." Ghira chuckled, though didn't seem all that amused. "I don't think I ever knew enough about what I was doing. Maybe if I had, things would look much better today."

The faunus then told them a story.

A story about how a group of idealistic people, faunus and humans alike, formed a group dedicated to promoting peace and equality between the races of Remnant. With Ghira as their leader, they would travel the world to protest against injustice and spread their message to anyone willing to hear it.

Wherever they went they were persecuted, sometimes violently. Over time idealism gave way to cynicism, peaceful solutions seeming all the less viable. The negativity drew the Grimm, making it even harder for the White Fang to function as they travelled from one town to the other through dangerous wilderness.

To protect themselves, the activists had to compromise on their methods and draw arms, if only for that purpose. In what seemed like a reasonable choice at the time, Ghira would hire skilled fighters to defend his caravans from attacks. Ilia Amitola, a dropout from one of Atlas' combat schools. Sienna Khan, a huntress from Vacuo and a firm believer in actively pushing for change, violently if necessary. Most infamously, a young fighter of whom few people knew anything against. Adam Taurus.

As the impatience grew, more and more faunus began to look to these people as their saviors. Sienna Khan would soon replace Ghira as the High Leader, turning the White Fang into a terrorist group to be feared and hated across all Remnant.

In time, these extremists would turn on each other. Sienna didn't prove radical enough for Taurus' tastes and so, as everyone suspected but no one could quite prove, he killed Sienna and replaced her as the high leader of the White Fang, using his newfound position to start a war that would consume millions of lives.

Through some unknown method, he conquered Mistral and Vale almost simultaneously. With some unknown power he broke Atlas itself, bringing humanity to its knees at last.

Then, as his enemies lied defeated, he turned towards his own species in hopes they would accept his rule. Unfortunately, most did. When he arrived in Menagerie, that has thus far stayed neutral in the conflict, he was acknowledged as a victor by everyone and hailed a hero by many. He soon took over, mercifully deciding to simply banish those who would not bend a knee. That included White Fang's former leader.

"After I was demoted from a Chieftain to a leader of a small group of faunus that were still willing to follow me, there was not much I could do to harm the White Fang. Or to help anybody in need, for that matter." Ghira said solemnly. " I left for Mistral and out of their sight, for fear they would change their minds about letting me live, or that some of Taurus' servants hated me enough to ignore their master's instructions. With large parts of the kingdom destroyed, it was hard for us to find a suitable place to stay for long, and so I took a gamble and headed for this location, knowing that it was still rather unknown. Luckily I found it mostly unguarded. A skeleton crew, willing to surrender once they realized they had much to lose and little to gain from fighting."

"Would you have fought them had you been forced to?" Jaune asked in a surge of curiosity.

"I am always trying to avoid violence where it's not necessary." Ghira replied vaguely. "Had it been only my life at stake, I would refuse to engage in combat under any circumstances. But given that my people were in danger as well... let's just say that I'm glad things went the way they did."

"I see." Jaune nodded. "And you made this place into a base of operations of your own?"

"I don't think I can call it that. Ever since we settled here, we only sent people to gather supplies and to spread the word of our defiance. A few people shared goods with us, but very few deigned to join the group. Still, having Sun on our side was worth both the risk and the effort. I sent him on several missions into Mistralian territory, before being told to contact your resistance movement."

Being told? Since Ghira was in charge of the faunus here it seemed weird for someone to give him orders... but maybe that was just a strange way of saying he had some sort of an advisor giving suggestions.

"And now that we are here... what do you suggest?" Jaune asked, though the real question was 'what can you offer us'.

"I suggest we form an alliance. For all the differences between us and our peoples, I share the goals of your front, General Arc. I want the White Fang to release their grip on Remnant and though I opposed the old order of things, I will see it restored if it means the end of slavery and bloodshed. And I assure you, though few people follow me directly, many faunus share the same goals."

"I do not doubt that." Jaune assured. "And I would be grateful to call you and your men allies. But there are a few questions I think I should ask beforehand."

"Understandable." Ghira nodded. "What do you wish to know?"

Aside from general questions about Ghira's situation and available forces, there was one thing Jaune felt he needed to ask about. It seemed risky to even ask that question, especially after he'd been warned not to touch upon personal topics, but he felt like this particular topic _had_ to be touched upon sooner or later.

"As we speak, the Kingdom of Atlas is being governed by one of Taurus' lieutenants. Queen Belladonna, as she wishes herself to be called." Jaune said carefully. "I understand she is your daughter. Do you..."

"You are mistaken, General." The Chieftain interrupted, his voice not quite angry, but very firm. "If you want me to tell you anything about this woman, I assure you that I don't know her."

"You don't. But I thought..."

"She's not my daughter. Not anymore. I can tell you about the person she once was, but I doubt it would help us in any way." Ghira sighed painfully. When he spoke again, his voice was soft once more. "Please. There is no point discussing the past like this."

"Alright, I understand. And I'm sorry." Jaune gave an honest apology. "Let me get to the point then. What support you expect from us?"

"You have the authority and men, both of which I have very little of. I cannot make any kind of change by myself, not in these circumstances."

"Are you alright with partaking in something like this? We will be using military force. Lots of it if we are successful."

"Do not think me naïve, General. I do understand that violence is necessary this time and that even if it wasn't, people would turn to it regardless."

"I'm sorry?" Jaune was taken aback by the last statement, which sounded a lot like an insult. "We are fighting because we have no other choice, not because we like it."

"That may be true of you and perhaps of your army. But think about it. If there was a way for all Kingdoms to regain their freedom and our races to be fully equal, but it required decades of gradual change and for all the crimes of the regime to go unavenged, would your people take that route? Can you truly claim that you do not seek revenge?"

Jaune wanted to reply that it wouldn't be a solution at all, that there had to be justice and that there were countless people who needed help right now… but then he realized the obvious parallel.

This kind of solution, if it could be called that, was the exact kind that was offered to the faunus in the past. Wait until things improve, do not hold anyone accountable for the past wrongs. Even the humans who believed in faunus equality, who genuinely wanted everyone to get along, would not advocate for immediate restructuring of all old institutions or for executing SDC officials for their misdeeds. It was always an unfair deal. And most faunus were still willing to take that deal, until they got tired of waiting and decided to just take what they wanted. If Jaune argued that this kind of one sided compromise wasn't fair and that using violence was preferable… then could he really condemn the White Fang for their actions?

So he stayed silent instead. The only sound in the room were the crackling braziers that slowly burned out, making the already dim room darken even more.

"I cannot blame your people for seeking retribution." Ghira eventually said. "I just want both of us to know and admit what the situation looks like. Regardless of who wins this conflict, it will be through bloodshed. I simply seek to lessen it as much as possible."

"I respect that." Jaune replied. This conversation was tiring him out, so he decided to finally touch upon the most crucial topic. "I will help you in whatever way I can. But how can you help us? I'm sorry, but you just said you're lacking in men and resources and that base isn't worth much in the grand scheme of things, even if we manage to hold on to it."

"You are correct in that I cannot offer you many material advantages. But I have something else." With these words Ghira stood up, his massive silhouette towering over Jaune and Pyrrha. "As your probably noticed, I was being… careful with giving away information as we talked. I have more to tell and to show you, but it must be done in private."

"You believe Pyrrha… you believe my Specialist isn't to be trusted?" Jaune asked, standing up to meet Ghira in the eye. "She knows everything I know and I intend to keep it that way."

"I mean no disrespect to the Specialist." Ghira said, opening his palm in a calming gesture. "And I cannot bid you from telling her everything afterwards. But there are some things that… might make you reconsider your policy."

Jaune doubted that. He always told Pyrrha everything she wanted to know, partially because he valued her opinion on the matters, but also because she simply deserved to know given all she contributed to the cause. He supposed he could humor his host and wait before sharing whatever he wanted to tell, but the fact that he felt a need to separate Jaune from his strongest companion was a little worrying.

As though sensing his unease, Pyrrha put a hand at Jaune's shoulder. "It's alright. The Chieftain isn't being unreasonable here. And he knows that if anything happens to you while the two of you talk…" Pyrrha turned to meet Ghira in the eye. Her voice turned cold all of the sudden as she finished her sentence. "We will retaliate."

Jaune blenched slightly at hearing such a threat, even though it wasn't meant for him. Pyrrha's tone made it clear that her retaliation would be lethal and her reputation left little doubt that she would be able to carry it out.

"I understand." Ghira replied, thankfully not offended at such a threat. "And do not worry, I have no ill intentions. You'll see soon enough."

Ghira then headed towards the exit, gesturing Jaune to follow. After giving Pyrrha one last nod, Jaune obliged and followed the faunus out of the room.

The guards bowed before their chieftain, but said nothing as he and Jaune entered the corridor. The two of them soon entered an area of the compound that, judging from the lack of guards and the dusty floor, wasn't used very often.

"Are you about to show me your secret weapon?" Jaune asked jokingly. "Some trump card that will change the course of our war?"

"Something like that." Ghira replied, sounding strangely serious.

Eventually, they reached a door. It wasn't ornate, it wasn't guarded, it wasn't made from reinforced steel. It was just another door, the likes of which Jaune had seen a lot of.

"I advise you to keep an open mind." Ghira said, reaching for the doorknob.

"You are really not making me any calmer with that line." Jaune pointed out.

"I apologize." Ghira opened the door, revealing yet another room. "Please come in. I will guard the door, though I may go in as well if that makes you feel safer."

"You may stay if you feel it's best." Jaune said, thinking it wise to make a cost-free display of trust. taking a deep breath and with a hand ready to reach for his weapon, he entered the room.

The inside was in all regards just as normal-looking as the entrance. A cozy room with a bed in one corner, a wooden desk in the other and a wardrobe in between. There were many candles distributed around the room, not in a ceremonial manner but simply to produce enough light for the room not to be creepily dark. Jaune wouldn't know why he was directed there if not for a person who sat behind the desk.

It was a young man, more of a boy really, wearing in a green coat and a white shirt underneath it. His unimpressive height and all the freckles adorning his face made Jaune assume he was a teenager, though something about the way he sat made him seem more mature than that.

"I believe that I was directed to speak with you." Jaune approached. He didn't extend a hand, he didn't know if it was appropriate just yet. "I am Jaune Arc, the commanding general of the Valean Resistance Front."

"Pleasure to meet you, mister Arc." The boy stood up, meeting Jaune straight in the eye. "I was looking forward to the time we could talk again."

"Again? Have we met?" Jaune asked, genuinely afraid he had forgotten someone important.

"Not exactly, but I know someone who did." The boy replied. "Which counts as meeting you for all intents and purposes."

"If you were aiming to confuse me, you did pretty well." Jaune murmured, his learned protocol not telling him how to respond in such a situation.

"Everything is confusing these days." The boy sighed deeply, in a way more suited for a tired old man. "But I will do my best to explain. My name is Oscar Pines. But you knew me as Professor Ozpin."

Jaune blinked.

"Any questions?"


End file.
